For the Life of Me
by susulee
Summary: 3 years after the war, Zuko calls his friends to the palace. But when Phoenix King Loyalists are seen gathering in neighboring kingdoms, and there is a suspicious sickness going around, the Gaang will have to band together to save the world... Again. Zutara
1. Chapter 1

**_Hello, Readers! Thanks for choosing my story. I sincerely hope you enjoy it. This is my first fanfiction, so don't be too harsh, please. Hehe... But, I would still love to hear any constructive criticism, you have. Well actually, I'd love to hear any thoughts you have about my story thus far. So. ENJOY_**

 _Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar, or any part of it. Just a fan, wanting to hear more about the show._

 **Chapter** **1:**

 **Their Arrival**

Zuko sat in his throne room listening to report after report. They were all so similar, _This village needs more food, That village needs more wood for homes, This town needs fresh water, That village needs a healer._ The Fire Lord didn't know how to help all of them. He was doing his best. Zuko was greatly improving the life of his people, in the 3 short years, he had been ruling. The poverty rate had already decreased. Villages were being rebuilt by the programs he created. Towns were even being cleaned and taken care of. Yet every day, he had stacks of complaints from different villages, saying they needed this or that. Zuko didn't know how else to help. His troops, who had been turned into peacekeepers and rebuilders, were already spread thin, and his resources were running low. The Fire Lord rubbed the bridge of his nose and started tuning out Lai Ghee, his Restoration Program leader when suddenly his ears picked up something out of the ordinary.

"-and they don't know what it is, or what causes it. 3 people have come down with the same symptoms-"

This wasn't the first time Zuko had heard of these symptoms. Last week, Shu Jing reported 6 people with very similar symptoms. Now this week, in Lung Hai, 3 people have fallen to these same, horrible symptoms: fever, delirium, hallucinations, but worst of all, the inability to bend. He hoped he was wrong, that it was just a coincidence.

"-And sir, they have lost their bending."

Damn, this was not good. Zuko sighed, sat up straight and addressed Lai Ghee, "Send for all those that are sick. House them near the palace, and have my family's personal physician look at them." He got up and started walking out of the throne room, adding "And make sure you keep this on the wraps. If word gets out, it will cause panic." And with that, The Fire Lord exited the room, leaving a bowing Lai Ghee behind him.

Zuko walked back to his chambers, mumbling to himself. He didn't know what to do. He had just got his nation back and won over his people. If they knew about this sickness, then they would surely start to hate him. With such a fragile relationship with his people, he had to make sure that no one found out about this. _I need help,_ he thought bitterly. But his pride would keep him from ever saying that out loud.

When the Fire Lord got back to his room, someone stood there waiting for him.

With a deep bow, the man started talking "Your Grace, two messages have arrived for you. One is from the North Pole-"

 _Katara_

"- And the other is from Kyoshi Island. Here you are, your Highness" and with that he gave Zuko the letters, bowed and scurried out of the hall.

Once Zuko was in the privacy of his bedroom, he opened the letter from Kyoshi Island and read:

 _Dear Fire Lord Zuko,_

 _It's been too long since we last talked. How are you doing? We've heard of the improvements you have made to your nation, it's all very impressive. The Fire Nation couldn't have a better leader. But I hope you aren't working all the time, you deserve to relax._

 _I thought you would like to know, we have a new addition to our family. A little boy. We are naming him Tikaani, which means wolf. Along with that, our first born, our daughter Nyra, has shown signs of being a waterbender! It's all very exciting! You are welcome to come and see them, you always have a room on Kyoshi. And I know Nyra would love to see her "Uncle Zuko". I hope you aren't working too hard. We'd love to hear back from you._

 _With love, Sokka, and Suki_

The Fire Lord had been meaning to write to them, and hearing the news of their newborn brought a pang of guilt, but also a bit of excitement. He missed his friends dearly, and loved the excuse to go and see them. But, he knew that with this new spreading sickness, he couldn't risk leaving the Fire Nation. With a heavy heart, he opened the second letter, the one from the North Pole, and read:

 _Dear Zuko,_

 _I hope this letter finds you in good health. I hear the programs you started for your nation are doing very well. On my travels, I saw the effects of them. I can see the hope you bring to your people, and it warms my heart. You have become an even better leader than I had hoped for._

 _I assume you got my brother's letter. They have a new baby boy! And their daughter is an aspiring waterbender! I will be on a ship heading to Kyoshi Island by the time you read this letter. I am hoping to start Nyra's training when I get there. I would love for you to join us. I hear even Aang and Toph will be there for the celebration of their newborn._

 _With love, Katara_

Gods, he missed his friends. It had been almost 3 years since he had seen any of them. After the war, Aang and Katara took off, traveling the world to help rebuild and heal the survivors of the war. Toph went back to the Earth kingdom and started an earthbending school. Sokka and Suki moved to Kyoshi Island, where they got married and started a family. Ty Lee moved to Kyoshi Island, and, once Suki became pregnant, took over training the infamous Kyoshi Warriors. Even Mai left. _Gods, it hurt to think of her_. Mai left a year after the war ended. She went to Omashu, becoming the emissary for the Earth Kingdom's own restoration programs. She leads the program in Omashu, alongside her parents.

That was 2 years ago, but Zuko still felt the pain from the breakup, and remembered the harsh words that were exchanged between the two. It had been the most emotion he had ever seen the raven haired girl display.

" _Mai, why are you doing this? I thought you were happy here."_

" _I was Zuko. But that faded a long time ago."_

" _But Omashu? You hate the Earth Kingdom!"_

" _Stop, we've been over this. I told you, I'm going to work with my parents to rebuild Omashu. I feel empty here. I have nothing to do. And you can sharpen your knives only so many times before you start to go crazy" She had a small frown on her lips, and her eyebrows knitted together._

" _Mai-" He had started to plead as he reached for her._

" _No! Zuko!" She pushed his outstretched hand away and turned from him. "I need this. I need to do something." Her voice started trembling, as she lowered it. "I need to prove I'm not a monster like Azula." Mai had a sad, lost look in her eyes. And there were lines around them that he didn't remember seeing before. He suddenly understood. Mai was drowning inside. She had lost herself while being Azula's "friend". After so long of living under a monster's shadow, it's only reasonable to question your own ethics, to wonder if you were evil, or if it was just you following orders. So she needed time to find herself, find a new purpose in life._

 _And she couldn't find that if she stayed._

 _Zuko had to let her go. And it killed him._

Shaking his head, the Fire Lord pushed the painful thoughts from his mind and set to work at his desk. He had come up with a plan, that involved time away from work, seeing his friends, and not leaving the Palace. If he couldn't go see the Gaang, then he'd bring the Gaang to him. He was going to invite everyone to come stay in the Palace.

 _Dear friends,_

 _I hope you can forgive me for not responding to your letters. I have been very busy with all my lordly duties-_

 _No that's stupid,_ thought the Fire Lord. He grabbed the letter, crumbled it into a ball, tossed it aside, and tried again

 _Dear friends,_

 _I'm sorry I have been so distant. I have had a lot of responsibility put on me and I just haven't had time to-_

 _Ugh! This is stupid too!_ Zuko crumbled and tossed the second letter to the side, and started writing a third.

 _Dear Gaang,_

 _I am sorry I kind of have been ignoring you. I'm needed here. A nation can't run itself you know-_

 _This one was even worse than the other two!_ Frustrated, Zuko grabbed the letter and turned it to ash in a matter of seconds. After a few calming breaths, the Fire Lord sat back down, and attempted again, to write to his friends.

 _Dear Friends,_

 _I hope you can forgive my tardiness this past couple of months. The Restoration Program requires a lot of attention, and in the beginning, it was too fragile to leave to the leaders I appointed in charge. But that's all settled now. The program is running smoothly._

 _To Sokka and Suki: I am sorry for missing the celebration of the birth of your first son. I bet he's as handsome and smart as his father. I look forward to seeing Nyra bend. Being the niece of an amazing bender such as Katara, and the daughter of such a fierce and wonderful warrior, I expect her to go far in her training._

 _To all of you: To make up for my absence at Tikaani's celebration, I invite all of you to come and spend a week or two at my palace. I will have 4 rooms prepared for you all. I hope to see you soon._

 _Sincerely, Fire Lord Zuko_

With a satisfactory _humph_ Zuko rolled the letter up, walked out of the room, and addressed one of the guards positioned at his door. "You. Please take this, and have it sent to Kyoshi Island. Make sure you use the fastest messenger hawk we have. Thank you. That will be all." And with that, Zuko turned back into his bedroom for some much-needed sleep.

The next few days were a blur to the Fire Lord, as he prepared 4 rooms for his friends, ordered the feast prepared and cooked, and had the palace shined and polished. But he didn't ignore his Lordly tasks completely. Every day, Lai Ghee would tell him the new reports. And every day the Fire Lord did his best to accommodate for his people's wishes.

On the third day, he got word from his family's physician on the state of the sick he had previously sent for. Their condition did not worsen, but it did not get better either. The patients were still delirious, feverous, and lacking their bending.

Zuko sighed dejectedly, at the remembrance of the physician's words:

" _I have never seen a sickness like this before. None of my remedies are working, and I can't seem to lighten the symptoms. Your Highness, this is not looking good."_

The Fire Lord didn't know what to do. But he did know that he was not going to let the word of this get out. Even to his friends. Zuko dismissed the thoughts from his head and instead thought of just when his friends would arrive.

It was on the 6th day that the Fire Lord's closest friends arrived at the port. Once he heard news of their docking, Zuko had rushed down in his biggest carriage, eager to see his friends. At the docks, he went to their ship and waited.

After a couple minutes, they finally started coming down. Toph was first. She stomped off the gangplank, with a sack thrown over her shoulder, and her trademark smirk splashed across her face. Zuko rushed to the end of the gangplank to meet her. She looped her arm through his because on the wooden dock she was blind.

"Well, it's about damn time we saw you" Toph stated roughly. But Zuko knew her well enough, that he could hear the slight hint of sentiment in her voice. After Toph, came Aang, who glided off the ship on a ball of air, laughing excitedly as people scrambled around him, picking up the things he had blown over. _Gods, he's still a kid._ But even the stern Zuko couldn't help but smile, as he watched Aang crash into a pole, trying to avoid running into someone. Aang lay sprawled on the ground, as Zuko addressed him.

"Well hello there to you too Aang. It's nice to see you"

"Zuko! There you are! It's been too long." And with that, the little air monk shot into the air, ran to the Fire Lord, and gave him a big hug. "I'm so glad you invited us here! It is going to be so much fun, and we have so much to catch up-"

"Group huuuuug!"

 _umph, Sokka, really?_ But before Zuko could voice his discomfort of being squished between his two friends, Toph beat him to it.

"Hey! Watch it Sokka! I'm blind on the wood here" She lay on the ground, a bit dazed, but all around unharmed by the hug-attack from Sokka. "Now get over here and help me up Twinkle Toes. Zuko is gonna want to see the others." Taking that as an excuse to leave the bro-hug, the Fire Lord stepped away from them-

-and was hug-attacked by another person. But this one was significantly different. The person went up to his hips and squealed "Uncle Zuko!" in that high-pitched voice only little kids are capable of. Zuko kneeled down in front of the small girl and embraced her.

"Nyra! My, have you grown!" That earned him an excited giggle from the sweet little girl in pigtails, and a combination of green and blue clothing. "And I hear you have started water bending? Isn't that exciting?" And at that, the little Nyra jumped into an exciting tale of how she first found out she was a bender.

"Now Nyra, don't talk his ears off." Suki chastised as she and Katara stepped off the ship, one carrying a baby, and the other carrying a small bag. "Oh Zuko, it's so good to see you. Thank you for inviting us to your palace. It's an honor."

"It's my pleasure, Suki. It was the least I could do, after missing your son's birth celebration. And Katara-" but he was cut off, yet again, by a hug.

"Oh Zuko, I've missed you." She stepped away after a second, and looked at him, expectantly, with her big blue eyes.

"We-Welcome to the Fire Nation" He stumbled out. _Gods, that was stupid._ After completely regaining his composure, he continued: "I have a carriage waiting for us, just at the top of this dock. And your rooms are already prepared for you. Shall we?". While offering Katara his arm, he slipped the bag out of her hands and carried it for her. But before Katara could loop her arm through his, Nyra jumped at Zuko, and snatched his hand away, talking excitedly.

The odd couple walked hand in hand, all the way up to the carriage, where the Fire Lord let go to help Nyra in, and offer his assistance to Suki and Katara. As Zuko sat down, Nyra, who sat next to him, continued her story, and the group of long time friends headed up to the Fire Nation Palace.

Once they arrived, the Fire Lord addressed the Gaang: "Since the start of my reign, I have remodeled my palace. So, Sokka and Suki, your room is in the east wing, along with Aang's. Toph and Katara, your rooms are in the west wing. There will be guards outside your doors-"

A chorus of complaints interrupted the Fire Lord, but he cut them off with a wave of his hand.

"-it's just a precaution. You needn't fear. But, these guards aren't just here for protection, because I know you can all fend for yourself. They are here to help guide you through the palace, to answer any questions, to fetch anything you might need, and to inform you of when the meals are. Now" he motioned for two guards to join them, "these men will show you to your rooms. I'll let you guys get settled in. Dinner is in 2 hours. I hear the chef has prepared a special meal to celebrate Tikaani's birth." Satisfied that he covered everything, he gave his friends a small bow, before exiting the room.

Katara followed Suki and Sokka to their room, to help Suki unpack and get settled. Sokka soon ran off, at the sight of a food cart being pushed down the hallway by a servant. Katara giggled at the sight of his 20-year-old brother drooling over cakes, and pastries.

She continued walking with Suki and noted the change in the palace decor. She was very impressed with the renovations the Fire Lord had made to the palace. The last time Katara had been through the palace, she had felt claustrophobic, and nervous, despite the wide halls, and high ceilings. Katara noticed how Zuko remodeled to make the palace more inviting, with softer reds, more varieties in tapestries, and more natural sunlight. The palace truly looked beautiful.

"Oh goodness. Zuko really outdid himself." Katara was brought out of her thoughts as she heard Suki talk about the room. "Oh my, he even accommodated for the children. He is just so thoughtful!" Katara walked into the room, and over to where Suki was. There was a small bed, with soft dark red blankets, on the right side of the Master Bed. On the left side, there was a small, ornately carved wooden crib, with plush red bedding. _Oh Zuko, you are such a softy_ Katara thought sweetly, as she ran her fingers over the carvings on the crib.

For the next hour, the two women conversely lightly, as they unpacked all the clothing, and prepared themselves for the feast. It was going to be a crazy night, having the old Gaang back together, and Katara couldn't wait.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Hey, readers! Thanks for staying with the story! I hope you enjoy this chapter, and please read and review! I reposted the chapter because I had to fix some grammar things. So anyways, happy reading!**_

 **Chapter 2:**

 **The Feast**

The Fire Lord paced in his room, waiting to be summoned for dinner. Zuko had planned the evening meticulously, he even made sure to dress in some of his finest, casual clothes. His hair was half up, in the traditional top knot, with his Fire Lord crown securely fastened to his head. He wore a long dark red robe, with long billowing sleeves, soft brown boots, a soft orange tunic, and dark red pants. He had a golden sash tied around his waist and a golden fire insignia on the back of his robe. _Gods, why am I worrying about my appearance._ Zuko was all over the place. He didn't know why he felt so nervous.

Someone lightly knocked on the door, and entered, "Your Highness, the feast is ready, and your friends are getting seated."

 _Finally!_ "Thank you." Zuko slightly bowed his head, and streamed out of his room, his robe billowing out behind him.

When Zuko finally arrived at the feast hall, he realized that the guard was right. His friends were already there. He was the last to arrive. _Oops._ As he walked through the doors, all eyes turned towards him, and conversation in the room came to a slow stop. _Umm…_

He found his seat and addressed his friends before sitting. "Friends, it is so great to see you all again. To finally be together, after such a long time apart. We have gathered here this evening to celebrate the birth of my dear friends Sokka and Suki's first son. Let's raise a glass to Tikaani!"

A chorus of "Here here" and "To Tikaani" came from the odd group of friends.

The Fire Lord beckoned the chef over. "Now, let the feast begin! Chef, bring out the first course!".

Katara was astounded at the array of food. There was everything from earth kingdom cabbage cookies, to traditional Water Tribe Five-Flavor-Soup. She couldn't decided on what to eat, so she took a little bit of everything.

"So Toph, how is your school going?" Suki asked as she spoon fed rice pudding to little Tikaani.

"Oh it's fantastic! It took awhile for the school to start though. The earth king didn't really like the idea of me teaching. But, after a _nice_ little chat with him, he changed his mind. Even funded it!" She laughed heartily at her own joke, and many people in the room joined her.

"Toph?! You threatened the Earth King? You're crazy." Katara , but couldn't help giggle at the thought.

 _Wow, I hadn't realized how much I missed these guys_ Katara thought _._ She glanced around the room, looking at each of her friends in turn. Sokka, who sat diagonal to her, was stuffing his face. _Not much has changed there_ Katara mused. Suki sat across from Katara. The Kyoshi Warrior, was still spoon feeding Tikaani, and the sight warmed her heart. _I want that one day, a family of my own_ she thought hopefully. Toph was seated next to her. Even though the blind earthbender had little bits of cabbage cookies on her chin, Katara could see how mature she had grown. Her posture was straighter, her hair was nicely kept, she was cleaner, _that's a first_ Katara thought. Across from Toph, sat Aang. _Oh gods_. Katara still missed Aang, even though they had broken up over a year ago. _I wonder what would have happened had we-_

She was startled out of her thoughts, as someone addressed her.

"Katara?"

It was Zuko. _Wait, had he asked a question? Oh gods, how embarrassing. I don't remember what it was. Oh please don't mention Aang,_ Katara silently pleaded to the Fire Lord.

"I asked how your travels with Aang went."

 _Damn._ Katara looked to Aang, but he didn't meet her eyes. "Oh they went very well. In the two years we traveled together, we successfully rebuilt hundreds of homes, healed thousands of people, and helped tons more. But now I live in the North Pole, as a waterbender teacher, alongside Master Pakku."

"That is incredible!" Zuko exclaimed. "Oh, and I had meant to do this before, but I want to thank you, for all the villages you helped in the Fire Nation. It is much appreciated."

"Oh you don't have to thank me, Zuko, it was my pleasure. And plus, I enjoyed helping all those people."

"If you enjoyed it so much, then why stop?" Zuko asked innocently.

 _Damn! How do I answer that?!_ Katara again, looked to Aang, indecisive on how to proceed in the now awkward conversation. But same as last time, he kept his gaze averted. _Damn it all_ She thought angrily. _If he won't help me with this, then I'll just tell everyone the truth._

"Well, funny you should ask. Hehe… Aang… and I… broke… up... That's why I moved to the North Pole… and he moved to the Northern Air temple..."

The room went silent. Even the children.

 _Oh gods, oh gods oh gods. I should have known this would be brought up. Maybe I shouldn't have told them what actually happened…_ Katara started freaking out.

"WHAT?!" Sokka yelled. His hand stopped halfway to his mouth, and he dropped the crab puff he was about to eat.

"Yeah, it happened about a year ago… I figured you guys knew… Since I stopped traveling with him and everything..." Katara could feel the eyes of everyone on her. Except Aang that is. He was still determined to not look her way. "Well. ANYWAYS." She said a bit too loudly. "How are you doing Zuko?" Katara said lamely, trying to change the subject.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Suki asked intently.

The room quieted, as her friends waited for her answer.

"Fire Lord Hot-man, are we getting dessert or not, huh? I've been looking forward to it since we docked!" Toph barked, breaking the tense silence.

"Hmm? What? Oh, yes! Desert!" The Fire Lord stumbled out. He waved to the chef. "I thought you guys might like to try a traditional Fire Nation Desert."

 _Thank you, Toph!_ Katara thought _I owe you big time._

After a few seconds, 7 servants walked into the room carrying trays, placing one in front of every person at the table.

"This looks delicious." Sokka moaned.

"This looks too pretty to eat" Suki whispered under her breath, and Katara agreed. Before her was the prettiest fruit tart she had ever seen. It had a soft crust outside, with cut fruit surrounding a thick cream center. There were a few rose petals in the center of the cream.

"Lord Zuko, you have outdone yourself," Suki said as she started eating.

"Mmmmm. This is delicious!" Nrya exclaimed.

"Hey Nrya," Toph inquired, "I heard you are a waterbender? That's very exciting!"

"Yes! And aunt- I mean Sifu Katara, has started teaching me!" Nyra bragged. "Did you all hear about how we found out about my bending?"

"Well now, I don't think that I did. Would you be kind enough to tell us Nyra?" Aang knew that was exactly what the girl wanted to hear, and she jumped right into the story.

"There had been weird things going on around the house, glasses spilling, puddles of water. But what really made it clear, was the river accident." Nyra stopped for dramatic effect, and looked around, making sure everyone was listening. Katara found the girls antics utterly adorable.

"One day, I was playing tag by the small river in our backyard, with my friends. We were running around, near the bank of the river, when my friend Meelu slipped and fell in. I knew she couldn't swim, so I got really scared. Before I knew what was happening, my arms were waving, and I was screaming, and" another dramatic pause" the water all around Meelu _froze!_ " Nyra looked at her audience with anticipation in her eyes. Everyone realized she was waiting for them to say something, and all responded at once.

"What happened?" "How did the water freeze?" "Did you save her?" "How did she get back to shore?"

"Well," Nyra continued, satisfied with their responses "She was frozen in a block of ice, and I swam out to her, and pulled her back in. When we were both back on land, I ran and got Mom and Dad. They just laughed." Nyra had a wide confident smile on her lips, as she looked around.

Then Toph asked the question that was on everyone's mind, but nobody wanted to voice, "Well, how'd you get her out of the ice?".

The smile wavered on little Nyras face. "Well.. Umm… We chipped away what we could, and then built a fire for the rest of it… I didn't know how to unfreeze her." Nyra's gaze dropped, and her smile shrunk. Everybody started laughing.

"But since she and I have started training, she has greatly improved, and would now be very capable of unfreezing her friend," Katara explained. Nyra looked to her, her confident smile coming back to her face.

"Oh Nyra, why don't you show us some of what you have learned?" Zuko asked, as he waved to a servant to bring a pitcher of water. Nyra's face lit up, "Yes! Of course Fire Lord Zuko!" she squealed, and jumped out of her seat.

Nyra got into a basic waterbending stance, feet spread out and arms up. Suddenly, the water from the pitcher on the table started to stream into the air. Nyra flicked her wrists, and the water stretched into a thin stream, that stretched across the table. With a graceful twist of her arms, the water moved across the room, weaving around the heads of everyone in the room. _Oh my, she is improving so much_ Katara though proudly.

The water Nyra controlled moved around the table gracefully, but then it got to Tikaani. The little boy giggled and grabbed for the water, breaking Nyras concentration. The water spilled across the two children, and everyone burst into laughter.

Katara quickly dried the 2 kids, and returned the water to the pitcher. "Oh Nyra! You are doing so well! That was incredible!". The little girl beamed at her teacher's praise.

"Yes, that was very impressive Nyra. You have your father's determination, your mother's grace, and your aunts skill. If you continue to work hard, you will someday be a powerful Master Waterbender." The Fire Lord smiled at his niece, who blushed under his gaze.

"So Suki, do you still teach the Kyoshi Warriors?" Toph asked.

"Sadly no. I had to give that up when I became pregnant with Nyra. I over look the training, but Ty Lee now leads and instructs the Warriors. She is an incredible fighter, leader, and teacher. She has even brought in her own techniques. Ty Lee taught us all chi blocking." Suki smiled at the memory of the pink clad circus performer.

"What about you Sokka? What have you been up to?" Zuko asked the Water Tribe native.

"Well, not much. Since the Kyoshi Warriors are still only females, I can't train with them. But on occasion, I'll spare with Ty lee, or Suki, just to stay in shape. I actually got a job in town though. I work at the Metalsmiths. I'm one of the few swordsmiths on Kyoshi island." Sokka exclaimed proudly.

"The best swordsmith that I've ever met" Suki added sweetly.

"Hey Aang, you've been pretty quiet this evening. How is it at the Northern Air Temple?" Sokka asked his friend.

"Oh, um it's going well. I moved there about one year ago, but spend most my time traveling. They have greatly improved the temple." The Avatar looked distracted. "But what about Zuko? He hasn't talked much either." Aang turned his attention to the Fire Lord. "So Zuko, got any fun plans for us while we're here?"

"Actually yes, I do. There is a celebration going on this week, and I was thinking we could all go check it out. I won't be able to go with you tomorrow though, I have business in town. But after that-

The Fire Lord stopped talking as a guard approached him, and whispered into his ear.

"I'm sorry, I have to go. Please excuse me." And with that, Fire Lord Zuko walked out of the dining hall, his robe billowing out behind him.

 _What was that all about?_ Katara thought. As she looked around at the puzzling looks on her friend's faces, she realized she wasn't the only one confused.

"I wonder what happened" Toph again voiced what everyone was thinking.

The feast continued for another hour. Then, the servants came in, picked up the plates, and the Gaang left the feast hall.

Katara waited behind everyone, hoping to catch Aang. _Oh! There he is!_ Katara spotted him walking around a corner, and ran up to him.

"What was that all about at dinner?" She asked the Avatar.

"I don't know what you mean" He countered

"Oh you know exactly what I mean. You were quiet the entire night. And you didn't meet anyone's eyes. What is going on? Are you avoiding me? Did I do something wrong?"

"It's nothing Katara."

"Aang, we both know that's not true."

"Katara, please. It's nothing." Aang looked sad, but Katara was determined to talk to him.

"Is this because I told them that we broke up?"

He looked at her and said simply "No, it's because we broke up… I still love you."

 _Damn did not see that coming._

"Aang, that was a year ago." Katara's heart started beating faster. She knew this conversation would come at some point.

"That doesn't mean I don't still love you! I have thought about you every day for the last year. Wishing to see you again. To beg you to get back together."

"Aang, I can't go through this again." Katara's eyes started watering.

"Please Katara, I love you. Is that not enough?"

Suddenly Katara got angry. "Do you not remember last time we broke up? No Aang, it's not enough. I can't be with you anymore. We aren't good for each other. You are too dependent on me, and I mother you too much. You are still a child, and I haven't been one since I was 8. You want to travel, and I want to settle down, and start a family. You're too young Aang. Maybe we can give our relationship another try in a couple years, when you mature. But until then Aang, we're over."

 _Oh, gods. I shouldn't have been so harsh._ Katara looked at the Airbender. He was devastated, and shaking. _I just wanted to ask about dinner._

"I'm sorry Aang." Katara turned around, tears filling her eyes, and ran away. Aang still stood there. Mouth gaping, and eyes wide. His breathing was heavy, and he had a glazed, sad look in his eyes.

 _I didn't mean to hurt you again,_ Katara thought sadly. _I just wanted to talk about dinner. I didn't mean to get mad. I'm sorry Aang._

She barely made it around the corner, before the tears overtook her, and sobs shook her chest. _I didn't mean to bring up the past, I just wanted to talk about dinner._ Katara blindly tried to find her way back to her room, only to run into something. She didn't have the energy to stand back up, so she knelt on the ground, crying. _I never meant to hurt you all over again Aang..._

Warm arms wrapped around her, gently lifting her up. Katara looked, and found that it was Zuko she had run into. Embarrassed, she started wiping her tears on her sleeve. Zuko just wrapped his arms tighter, and mumbled soothing words. After a few seconds, Katara returned his embrace, grateful to him for not questioning her.

After a few minutes, Katara calmed down and whispered a small thanks to Zuko. He just smiled and started leading her back to her room. _There is so much I still don't know about him,_ Katara thought as she looked up at the Fire Lord. _I never knew he was so sensitive._ Today has definitely proved to her, that he was indeed sensitive, and thoughtful.

"Thank you. For everything" Katara said louder, making sure she was heard.

"You don't have to thank me Katara. I went through this same thing with Mai. I know how hard it is."

Katara looked up at the Fire Lord. _Did he just open up to me?_

"She left a year after Sozin's comet, saying she needed to find herself. And she said she couldn't… if she stayed with me…"

 _He did just open up to me. Oh Zuko I am so sorry, I didn't know. I wish I had known. That must have been so hard. And you never told us. You had to go through that alone_ Katara thought, but "Oh" was all she said.

They arrived at her room, and Zuko opened the door for her. He left with a small bow, and a goodnight. But as he turned away, Katara gave him a hug, and whispered "I'm always here for you. We all are." and then she quickly went into her room, shutting the door behind her.

Katara dressed in her night clothes and climbed into the large bed. With her thoughts a mess, she drifted off into a deep, dreamless sleep.

 ** _Any ideas on why Zuko left so abruptly? And what'd you think of Nyra's bending skills? Please feel free to review all your thoughts and ideas about my story._**


	3. Chapter 3

**_Hey there! I really enjoyed writing this chapter. It was so much fun. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! So anyways. Enjoy this chapter!_** Disclamer: I do not own A:TLA in any way. Just borrowing.

 **Chapter 3:**

 **The Fire Festival**

The Fire Lord woke up the next morning and dressed in his most casual clothes. He was going into town today and did not want to attract a lot of attention. He decided on black pants, a dark red shirt, and a simple dark red hooded cape. He crept out of his room, as the sun was rising, and made his way out of the palace, stopping only once to tell a guard about his plans.

As he made his way out of the palace gates, he remembered the feast from the day before.

 _In the middle of his sentence, a guard had come up to him and whispered startling information to him. "Your Highness, there have been multiple sightings of Phoenix King Loyalists holding rallies in neighboring kingdoms." Zuko had quickly excused himself from the feast and stormed out of the room._

 _Once he arrived at the war council chamber, he burst through the door, demanding answers._

" _Why in the hell, was I not informed of this earlier? How long has this been going on?"_

 _One of his councilmen stood up, bowed, and tried to answer his questions. "Your Highness, at first, there was only a few Phoenix King Loyalists causing trouble, and we thought nothing of it. But just recently, they have started gathering in larger numbers, and farther from the Fire Nation."_

" _I should have been informed of them the second you found out that they were grouping!" The Fire Lord's temper was getting out of hand. He pinched the bridge of his nose. "My fathers' men are dangerous extremists, who would do anything to see me dethroned. I need Ozai's security doubled." The Fire Lord started pacing around the room. "I want a list of everyone who has access to him. I want daily updates on his men. I want troops to go to these rally spots and bring them in. And I want it done now." The Fire Lord looked at the men in the room, and they shifted uncomfortably under his scrutiny._

" _Now, show me_ exactly _where they have been gathering…" Lord Zuko instructed. For the next hour, Zuko and his councilman discussed plans, security, and solutions._

 _After he was satisfied that he had done as much as he could, the Fire Lord rushed out of the room-_

 _-only to collide with a crying figure. Upon further inspection, he realized it was Katara, who was crying._

 _The Fire Lord didn't know what to do. He was so used to Katara being a fierce, strong, warrior. And suddenly, all he was seeing was a helpless heartsick young woman. Seeing her crouched on the floor, crying, he realized something._

 _Zuko knew very little about Katara, yet had much in common with her._

 _Before he knew what he was doing, the Fire Lord was picking the Master Waterbender off the ground, embracing her, and whispering soothing words to her. She soon returned his embrace, and he realized another thing. No one had held him like this in almost two years. Mai was the last to hug him like this. But now it was Katara, and Zuko decided he enjoyed holding her like this. He enjoyed it so much that he didn't even realize that he had started talking to her._

" _-I know how hard it is. She left a year after Sozin's comet, saying she needed to find herself. And she said she couldn't… if she stayed with me…"_

 _Zuko was shocked to realize he had just opened up to Katara._

 _He was even more shocked at the what she whispered to him, before slipping off into her room._

" _I'm always here for you. We all are."_

The Fire Lord violently shook his head, forcing the memory out, breaking the hold it had over him. So much has happened in the last 2 days. Zuko was having a hard time processing it all.

He had been so enveloped in his memory he hadn't realized he had arrived at his destination.

The clinic he had sent the sick to many days ago.

As he walked in the door, he was approached by his family physician.

He bowed and addressed Zuko. "Fire Lord sir, thank you for stopping by. But I'm sorry to say, there is little to no good news. They are all still delirious. And… they still don't have their bending. But luckily, I have found a way to break their fevers, and I am certain that the sickness is minimally contagious. It can only be spread by bodily fluids."

The Fire Lord sighed, nodded to the physician, and walked down the aisle. There were two rows of patients, on either side of the wall. Low mumbles came from a few of them, while others rolled around in their sleep. As he neared the back, he heard something that startled him.

"You… You. You, you… He's coming. You, help me please…"

Zuko found the patient saying these things, and was again startled. The man on the bed was covered in bandages. He had one covering part of his face, from his left ear to the opposite side of his forehead. He had extensive bandaging over his chest, along his left arm, and his left leg was in a cast.

"I need to get away from him, he's coming…" The man seemed to get lost in his thoughts, and his voice lowered to a mere whisper. "... running… so much running… falling… and pain. So much pain… and the moon!" Suddenly he sat up straight, grabbed the collar of Zuko's robe, and yelled "He's coming! The moon! You, I need your help. The moon! You! Make him stop! The pain... Moon please-" The physician quickly came over and unhooked the patient from the Fire Lord.

"A thousand apologies Your Highness. He is still hallucinating, he doesn't know who you are. Most likely, he see's you as someone from the night he was attacked."

"He was attacked? When did that happen?"

"Well, a guard found him wandering around the forest outside of Lung Hai, with wounds that were not accidental. They brought him to the village healer, and that night, he came down with the sickness."

"What is he mumbling about?"

"He keeps asking for help from us. 'You, help me'. Most likely he thinks we are the guard who found him."

The patient was lying on the bed, mumbling incoherently, and reaching into the air.

"No wait, I don't think he's saying 'You' as in Y-O-U. I think he's saying Yue. Y-U-E. Look at him. He keeps saying 'Yue, help me. Yue, make him stop'. I don't know why, but I think he was praying to the moon goddess to help him."

"Oh… Your Highness? There's one more thing you should know…" The physician avoided the Fire Lord's eyes. "I don't believe this virus is natural sir…"

"And what do you mean by that?" Zuko questioned.

Katara woke up the next morning a complete mess. As she got out of bed and made her way into her bathroom, she gasped at her reflection. Her hair was matted, and sticking up at odd angles. She had sleep lines across her left cheek. And _wait, is that…?_ Katara sighed. She had drool on her cheek. _I have a lot of work to do if I want to be presentable._ And so Katara got to work on cleaning herself up.

She ran a bath, dropping in some sweet smelling bath salts. She stepped into the bath, submerging completely in her natural element. Katara instantly relaxed, as the warm water caressed her tense muscles. So much had happened yesterday, and she hadn't taken the time to think it over. She had, in a sense, broken up with Aang for the second time. She had only wanted to discuss dinner. Katara had feared that Aang was mad at her, that he was ignoring her. But it turns out she was wrong. It was the opposite. Aang loved her still. He couldn't meet her eyes because he didn't want to accept that they weren't together anymore. Not because he was mad at her. _Gods, how did our relationship get to this? I love Aang, I know I do. I just can't be with him._ The spark Katara had felt with the small Airbender all those years ago had faded after the war. She still loved him, but not in the way he loved her. Through their travels, she became a mother figure to so many kids, helping them, healing them. And she learned that that was the basis of hers and Aang's relationship. Yes, there was some passion, but a big part of it was her supporting and caring for Aang, as a mother.

 _Gah! How did my love life get this complicated?_ She grunted in frustration and resurfaced. _I need to relax and get Aang off my mind. Hmm…_ Katara decided that some waterbending would clear her head. _I have been wanting to try this one trick for a while…_

She sat up in the tub and started twisting her hand in intricate patterns. Slowly, a stream of water responded to her call and leaped into the air. At the tip, she split it into six different sections, and curled each one in, forming petals. Pulling drops of water from the tub, she added two small leaves on the stem. She blew softly on the water flower, freezing it. While it slowly hardened, Katara started adding details, veins on the leafs, dimples in the petals, perfection to the smallest detail. Finally, the flower hardened.

In her hand, Katara held an intricate flower. _Ha! I'm getting so much better at that._ Satisfied with her work, she unfroze it and watched as the flower slowly dripped back into the tub.

Katara grabbed one of the bottles on the bench and squeezed some shampoo into her hair. After rinsing the soap from her hair, she slathered in some sweet smelling conditioner. Combing her hair with her fingers, Katara rinsed the conditioner from her hair. Once she finished washing her body, she stepped out of the tub, and bent all the water off of her body, out of her hair, and back into the tub. The master bender slipped into a soft Fire Nation robe and went to get dressed.

Looking through the supplies she had brought, she grabbed simple dark blue pants, and a light blue tunic, with a white sash. She went back to the bathroom and brushed her hair. On her way out the door, she pulled half her hair up and put it into a bun.

Katara met with all of her friends in the feast hall for breakfast. They were already there, finishing up their food, and discussing plans.

"Good morning Katara! I hope you slept well, we got big plans for today." Suki motioned to an empty seat next to her. "We are going into town for the Fire Festival!"

"I'm gonna see the Fire Performers!" Little Nyra was jumping up and down, obviously ecstatic at the thought of going to the Festival. "And Daddy's going to let me try Fire Flakes! And Mommy says that I get to make my own mask. And baby Tikaani is coming with us too!"

"Yes, I thought it would be fun to make our own masks since we have time before the festival starts," Suki stated.

"Oh, that sounds like a great idea!" Katara switched her attention from Suki and addressed the rest of the group. "Is everyone going tonight?"

"Yup! I want to check out the weapons shop they have in town. I hear they're having a sale, 'cause of the festival." Sokka answered. _That's my brother for you. Only ever thinking about shopping or food._

"I'm coming. I want to check out the weapons shop with Sokka. I'm in need of some new armor." The blind earthbender chimed in.

Katara looked to Aang, he was the last to respond. "Umm. Yeah, I plan on going. I want to see the Dragon Dancers. Hehe. Just like old times." He whispered the last part to himself.

"I hear they have a new dance group that's going to perform tonight. All the servants have been talking about it." Suki added in.

"Oh Suki, we should take Nyra to see it!" Katara responded. "Does anyone know if Zuko will be joining us at all today?"

"Oh, I don't think so. A guard told me that he left early this morning for something important in the city. Maybe he'll join us later tonight, though." Sokka supplied.

"Good thing the festival is going on all week then," Katara stated. "Oh and Nyra, just because we are visiting the Fire Nation doesn't mean you can slack off on your training. I expect to see you in the gardens after breakfast for some training."

"Yes, Sifu Katara. " Nyra said respectfully, as she bowed her head.

Breakfast continued for another half hour before they all split off. The group agreed that after lunch they would all head to the Fire Festival.

Katara sat in the shade of a small tree, going through basic waterbending forms, as she waited for her pupil.

Nyra approached the waterbending master, and gave her a proper bow, with her fists touching in front of her chest, and bowing at the waist. She addressed Katara, "Sifu Katara, I am ready to begin training."

"Good." Katara lead the young girl to the water's edge and started guiding her through basic warm ups.

The two waterbenders moved in tandem. Their movements were fluid. Their arms moved as graceful as the water that swirled around them. _She is improving so much. I'm so proud._

"Okay, Nyra. Are you sufficiently warmed up?"

"Yes Sifu"

"Good. Let's begin."

Katara pulled a small stream of water from the pond and pooled it in front of her. "Now Nyra, you have learned many waterbending techniques, and many important skills, but, what I'm going to teach you today is very different. From now on, your training will be focused on defensive and offensive skills."

Katara drew her arms in a large circle, the water mimicking her movement and circling around her head. "Now what I'm going to teach you, is the first real skill I learned. The water whip. Do what I do." Katara got into a steady stance, feet spread apart. "You have to shift your weight through this move. Start stretched forward and pull the water out of the pond. Then pull the water to you, as you shift to your back foot. Make sure to curl the water up. Then, bring your front arm out, and pull the water back into a stream, and with a flick of your wrist, snap the tip of the stream."

 _Smack!_ "OW!" Nyra rubbed the red mark on her arm. Katara chuckled slightly.

Nyra recovered quickly and the two waterbenders went through the move many times. After half an hour, Katara was satisfied that Nyra had it down and stepped back to watch the young girl.

 _Forward, shift. Back, curl. forward, snap._ Katara smiled proudly. "Nyra, you got it. You have successfully learned the Water Whip. Practice that every day, along with your normal warm ups, and you'll be able to do it effortlessly. Because you did so well today, I'll end training early. Good work today." Katara bowed, and Nyra followed suit. "Now, let's go see what everyone else is doing"

The two girls ran off, hand in hand, in search of their friends.

Lunch went by quickly, and the Gaang set off for the Fire Festival.

"Katara! Look at my mask!" Nyra held up a beautiful mask. The eyes had red painting around them, across the cheeks were black stripes, the lips were red, a yellow star was painted on the forehead, and the rest was white.

"Nyra, that is beautiful! Nicely done!" Katara marveled at the mask. She herself didn't have time to make a mask, she planned on buying one at the festival. "Oh Nyra, would you want to help me find a mask?". The little girl squealed, and shouted "Yes!".

After some walking, the little group arrived at the festival.

"Suki? Can I take Nyra for a little shopping?" Katara asked her friend. "We can meet later for the dance performance."

"That sounds like a great idea! Now Nyra, behave yourself and stay with Aunt Katara. I'll see you later." The Kyoshi Warrior knelt down and kissed Nyra on the head, and walked off with Sokka.

Nyra quickly grabbed Katara's hand and started pulling her off to the nearest mask stand. "Now, we have to find the perfect mask. It has to match your dress."

 _Oh, she is just adorable._ Katara giggled, and said to the small girl, "Well then, find me a mask little lady."

The next half hour was a blur of masks. Small ones, large ones. Feathery masks, wooden masks. Katara couldn't keep track of just how many different masks she tried on.

"Finally! It's perfect!" Nyra came running over and handed a mask to Katara. _Oh, gods, it's incredible._ The mask covered her right eye and cheek. It had red and blue designs weaving in and around each other, and feathers coming off the top. It looked like fire and water dancing together. "Here I'll help you put it on." Katara knelt, and Nyra tied the mask on. "It's perfect."

 _I agree with you there. It's beautiful._ "Thank you Nyra. Now let's go shopping!"

The two waterbenders passed time happily, as they waited for the dance performance to started.

"It's time now, Nyra. Let's go meet with your mom and dad, and watch the show." Katara lead the little girl through the festival, to the theatre.

The stage was decorated beautifully. Elegant red curtains framed the stage, and the backdrop was a full moon rising over a mountain range. Suddenly, someone walked onto the stage and addressed the audience. "Thank you, folks, for coming to see our show. We have a special surprise for you tonight. You will be given a show of a lifetime, a show you will not soon forget! Now, put your hands together for the Harmonic Dancers!" The host spread his arms out, and fire shot out of them forming a wall of fire in front of him.

When the fire dissipated, the host was gone, and in his place, were 3 dancers. Each in a specific color. One wore an elegant red dress, with a slit up one leg. Another wore a green robe, over a light green tunic, and green pants. The last wore a blue sleeveless crop top, and a layered blue and white skirt. The three dancers formed a circle at the center of the stage, facing in.

The music started playing and the red-clad dancer moved first. She lunged into the circle, and swept her arms in front her, shooting fire as she went. The other two dancers jumped into the air, out of the way of the fire. Each landing gracefully in standard bending positions.

Katara realized that each dancer represented a nation. The red was for Fire Nation. The green was for the Earth Kingdom, and blue was for Water Tribe.

The Fire dancer leaped into the air and did a layout backflip, trailing fire from her feet. The water dancer pulled water from a nearby barrel, and curled it around her body, while the earth dancer jumped at the fire dancer, rolling as her fire came at him. He popped back up, pulling a small trail of pebbles with him, as the fire dancer landed, and the two began dancing around each other. Soon, the water dancer joined, and the three dancers moved around each other, each bending their element in circles around their body. They narrowly avoided hitting each other, either with their element or with themselves.

Suddenly, another dancer leaped onto the stage. He was wearing orange and yellow clothing and held a staff.

 _Oh, gods, it's Aang. The Air Nomads._

The air dancer dove over the others and landed in the center of them. He swept his staff around, and the three other dancers slowly stopped, and turned to him. He swung his arms around and stepped into the circle alongside them. Soon the four dancers were dancing with each other, instead of against. Their elements moved in rhythm with each other, perfectly timed, perfectly balanced. The four dancers were in harmony. Their four elements were in harmony. The four Nations were in harmony.

 _This is incredible. It's showing the struggles of the past._ The dance was a representation of the war, how the nations were divided, and fighting, but then the Avatar came. He brought balance and harmony to the world.

Katara didn't know when she had started crying.

Zuko left the physicians clinic as the sun set. He hurried down the street, hoping to meet his friends for the last bit of the festival.

He found them quite easily. They were all seated at a table outside a tea shop. They spotted him as he approached, and waved him to an empty seat.

"Hey, Zuko! I'm glad you finally made it! We just ordered some food, do you want any?" Sokka patted him on the back and smiled. Zuko nodded to the water tribe boy.

"Oh good, cause I already ordered for you." Sokka laughed. "Well actually I just ordered two meals for myself, but I guess you can have one." Zuko chuckled. _He is ridiculous._

"I hope you guys enjoyed the festival," Zuko said to his friends. They responded with a chorus of "Oh yes!", "Most definitely" and "Heck yeah!"

"I got some new armor!" Toph said excitedly, as she lifted a paper bag.

"I got some supplies for my swordsmithing back in Kyoshi," Sokka added.

"Us girls went to see the Harmonic Dancers. It was the most incredible dancing I have ever seen." Katara exclaimed.

"Oh, it was! I loved it! The dancers were the four nations and they were all like-" Nyra started imitating the dancers with sound effects, and funny actions. Zuko laughed at the little girl's exuberance.

Once Nyra finished her demonstration, Zuko apologized to his friends. "I'm sorry I couldn't join you guys sooner, I had urgent business in town. But, I'll be able to join you tomorrow night."

"Oh good! You just have to see this dance group! You'd love it!" Suki insisted.

The food arrived, and the group fell into easy small talk as they ate.

On the walk back to the palace, Katara fell behind to talk to Zuko.

"I wanted to apologize for yesterday. I didn't mean to bother you, while you were working. And… for crying… and stuff..." Katara ducked her head in embarrassment.

"Katara, please. There is no reason to apologize. That's what friends are for."

"I know, I just… I'm sorry to have dragged you into the mess I call my love life."

Zuko grabbed Katara's shoulder and turned her to face him. "You do not need to apologize. I am happy to help." He pulled her into a hug and whispered "I'm always here for you. We all are."

"Zuko… Huh! Zuko!" She pushed him away suddenly.

 _Damn, what did I do wrong?_

"You're burning up!" Katara brought a hand to the Fire Lord's forehead.

"Umm Katara? I'm a firebender, I'm naturally hot."

"Not like this. Are you okay? Are you feeling well?" Katara was holding his face in both of her hands, turning it this way and that as if looking for something.

"I feel fine Ka- Look out!" Zuko tackled Katara to the ground as an arrow whizzed above them. "We're under attack!" He leaped in the air and got into his normal firebending stance.

"Zuko! What are you talking about? There's no one there!" Katara picked herself up off the ground.

"Look, over by the bushes! Can't you see the shadow?" Zuko was whispering now. "Hurry, we need to tell the others." _We're almost surrounded… What should we do?_

"Oh stop it. What are you talking about? No one is attacking- AHH!" She screamed as Zuko tackled her again.

"They're shooting at us! Stay down!" _Why doesn't she believe me? They're right there!_

"For the last time. No one is attacking us!" Katara was getting annoyed.

"Don't believe me? Fine. But then how do you explain the arrow sticking out of that tree?" Zuko pointed to a nearby tree.

"Zuko… There is no arrow there. Look." The Fire Lord looked back and realized she was right. There was no arrow there. His face turned ashen.

 _...What… What is going on…_ Zuko sat on the ground. "What… I swear they were there. I swear I'm… not… seeing things…." _Oh shit. This is not good._ "Katara… I need your help."

"With what Zuko?"

"I think I'm sick…"

 ** _So, how 'bout that? What do you think is going to happen next? Is Zuko really sick? Could it be what all those other people have? Review what you think is going to happen! I love to here from you guys._**


	4. Chapter 4

_**Guys! I am so sorry! I have been non-stop camping for the past 3 weeks. I had girls camp, then trek, then camping with my cousins, then another girls camp, and just wow. I have been so busy and haven't been anywhere with service. But, I'm back for the summer. So prepare for more chapters! Please, read and review. I love hearing from you guys.**_

 **Chapter 4**

 **The Virus**

Katara rushed back to the palace, pulling Zuko. She was freaking out. So much had just happened in the last 20 minutes, and she understood almost none of it. All that she did know, was that her friend was sick. Very sick.

They finally arrived at the palace. She burst through the door, yelling commands at the guards. "Go get my friends, and tell them what has happened, and that we are not to be disturbed until I send for them." "Fill Zuko's tub with cold to lukewarm water, and get me rags, and any medicine you have in this palace." "Take me to the Fire Lord's chambers."

The next 10 minutes were a blur of guards, hallways, servants, and an incessant amount of questions, which she pointedly ignored.

 _Curse this huge palace._ Finally, Katara arrived at Zuko's room. She was getting tired from half carrying, half pulling him for so long. The two hobbled to the bathroom, where a cold bath was waiting for them. A servant stood by the wall, holding a tray of bottles, jars, and wraps. The palace's medicinal materials were at her beck and call.

Katara lowered Zuko onto a stool. He was mumbling. Over the journey from when he started seeing things to now, he had gotten progressively worse. His fever was higher, he was mumbling, and seemed to not understand what exactly was happening around him. She pulled off his robe and lifted off his tunic.

She looked to the servant, and asked: "Can you help me lift him into the tub?" The servant set the tray down and ran over. Together they heaved the Fire Lord into the cold tub. Immediately, Katara gloved her hands in water and started working them through the water, trying to determine what was wrong with the Fire Lord.

"Hand me a rag" The waterbender demanded, and the servant complied. Katara dipped the rag in water, cooled it, and placed it on Zuko's head.

"Write this down." The servant ran out of the room, and then 2 minutes later ran back in, with a paper, bottle of ink, and pen. " 10 pm. His fever is very bad, and his body is shutting down. His pulse is erratic. He is hallucinating, incoherent, and not responding to stimuli." She pulled water into gloves again and started moving them around his head. _If I can just break his fever, then everything can calm down._ She concentrated hard, searching through the water, through Zuko, for the cause of the fever.

"Ah! I got it! I broke his fever!" Katara dropped the water gloves into the tub. She soaked the rag again and placed it back on his forehead. She settled onto the stool, preparing herself for a long night of healing, bending, and nursing.

Many hours passed, and Katara was exhausted. Breakfast was brought in for her, as the sun rose. She hadn't been able to sleep at all. The Fire Lord was in and out of consciousness, and she struggled to keep his fever down, and calm his convulsions so he didn't hurt himself. Zuko was sleeping now. She had taken him out of the tub a few hours before, put his shirt back on, and placed him in bed. _He is doing so much better._ Katara had worried that she wouldn't be able to help, but through the night he had gotten significantly better.

"Write this down please" Katara addressed one of the maids, and she hurried to get a quill and paper. "5 am. His fever has stayed down. He is responding to stimuli, he isn't mumbling anymore and his pulse is . He seems to be sleeping without disturbance now" This was her fourth report of his symptoms. She wanted to keep track of everything, so it could be documented, and used for further reference.

Katara sat on the corner of his bed, leaned again the post and looked at the Fire Lord. He hadn't had an outburst in quite awhile. _He looks so peaceful… and vulnerable. I've never seen him like this before._ Zuko turned in his sleep, and some of his hair fell in front of him. Before she could think, Katara reached out, and brushed the hair from his eyes.

 _He's so handsome._

 _Wait, what?! Where did that come from?_ Katara shook her head as if trying to forget she thought that. _I must be more tired than I thought. Maybe I can just close my eyes for a few minutes…_ Katara was out in seconds.

"Well, what do we have here, hmm?" Toph's voice cut through the silence and Katara jolted awake.

"What? What's going on?" Katara was rubbing the sleep out of her eyes when she noticed where she was.

 _I was just asleep. In the Fire Lord's chambers, on his bed, next to Zuko._ This did not look good for her.

"Toph, this is not what it looks like. I was healing Zuko. He was very… and I was just… and we weren't-" Katara's face flushed.

"Oh don't worry Sugar Queen. I won't tell anyone."

"But… There's nothing to tell!" Katara started yelling but quickly lowered her voice when Zuko stirred next to her.

"Well, if you're done cuddling with Zuko, we'd like an update on everything. We've been waiting all day." Toph turned to leave the room. "We're in the dining hall for dinner"

 _Dinner? Was I really asleep for that long?_ "Okay, I will be there soon. I have to go wash up, though."

Toph left the room, with a smirk on her lips.

Katara quickly checked on Zuko. His fever was gone. He responding to stimuli. He wasn't mumbling, and his pulse was strong and steady. She got up to leave, and addressed one of the servants in the room. "He should be waking up soon. Make sure there is warm food ready for him. Tell him he needs to eat everything, and drink at least 3 glasses of water. Doctor's orders. Then when he's full, he's welcome to join us, but he is to take it easy. Thank you." Katara bowed her head to the servant and left.

Katara went back to her room, quickly washed, dried (it's easy when you can just bend the water off of you), and dressed.

When the Master water bender made it to the dining hall, she found all her friends gathered around, talking quietly. She walked to her seat quickly and sat down. All eyes turned to her, and the conversation came to a stop.

"Um, let me just eat please? And then I can explain?" Katara asked quietly. She took their silence as yes and began to eat. She ate so fast she didn't even taste her food. She was so hungry.

A few minutes of silence passed, and Katara finally swallowed the last of her food. "Okay, so let me explain." With that she jumped into the tale of how she was walking with Zuko (she conveniently left out what they were talking about), they were "attacked", he became sick, and she spent all night and all morning healing him. Now that she was hearing it out loud, she realized how crazy it all was.

Just as she was getting to the part where she fell asleep next to Zuko, the man himself walked into the room. _Oh, thank goodness. Perfect timing._ Katara did not want to have to retell that.

"Good. I'm glad everyone here. I have a lot to tell you." The Fire Lord sat at the head of the table. "I'm guessing Katara filled you in on the past 24 hours or so. Most of which I don't even remember. So you'll have to fill me in later. But, as of now, I have pressing information that I need to discuss with you.

Things are going on in the Fire Nation that you should all be aware of. First off, Phoenix King rebels, my father's men, have been noted many times to be gathering and recruiting for some cause. They are slowly increasing in number. And second, an illness has broken out in the Fire Nation. It is very serious." Zuko paused, and went around the room, looking at everyone in turn. "Not only do they suffer from hallucinations and fever… they lose their bending."

Everyone in the room collectively gasped.

"Wait Zuko… Does that mean- " Suki started, but stopped as the Fire Lord snapped his fingers and formed a small flame.

"No, I am completely fine. And that is all due to this amazing healer, Katara." Zuko motioned down the table. Katara blushed. "But that can't be said for the many poor folks who weren't lucky enough to be near Katara at the time.

I understand if you all want to go back to your normal lives. This is the Fire Nation's problem, and I don't want to risk getting you sick-"

Zuko was interrupted by many snorts and gasps.

"Please Zuko, a little cough isn't gonna scare me away," Toph said.

"I'm staying too. I want to help. And I want to see what's going on with those Phoenix Rebels." Aang added in.

"And I am definitely staying. I want to figure out more about this sickness. And I know I can help relieve the symptoms of the sick." Katara had a stubborn look in her eye.

"Well, if everyone else is staying, then we will too. Nyra needs to continue her lessons with Katara, and I'm not that far along. I'll be fine staying and helping in any way that I can." Suki laid an affectionate hand on Katara's arm.

"Then it's settled. The Gaang is back in business! Whoo!" Sokka pumped a fist in the air.

Zuko chuckled to himself. _How did I manage to get such amazing friends? I am so lucky._

The Gaang continued talking with each other until the sun went down. Then one by one, everyone disappeared back to their own rooms.

Zuko was the last to leave. He followed Katara out of the room.

"I wanted to thank you, for last night." Zuko walked alongside Katara.

"Oh Zuko, it's the least I could do. I'm just glad I was there to help."

"I think it's because of you that I didn't lose my bending. Because you healed me so soon." They turned down a hallway, towards Katara's room. "You saved me."

"Oh please, that's what friends do. We look out for one another." Katara felt a small blush forming on her cheeks.

A few minutes passed, and neither of them talked.

"Oh, before you go to sleep, I need to check you again, just in case. And if you could answer some questions, it'd be great for future reference."

"Anything for you. Thank you." Zuko was pleased to see another blush color Katara's cheeks. _She looks good in pink._

They made it to Katara's room, and she ushered Zuko in. "Just head into the bathroom, and we can get this done real quick."

Zuko found a bench in the bathroom, and Katara joined him soon after with a few bottles, and a jug of water.

"First, I need you to take off your shirt."

Zuko blanched. "Wh-what?"

"Oh shush. It's for healing purposes." But that didn't stop the blush from forming on Zuko's white face as he pulled off his tunic.

"Now, hold still," Katara commanded as she gloved her hands in water from the jug. She laid one hand on his chest, closed her eyes, and listened.

 _Bum bum, bum bum, bum bum._

"Okay, so your pulse is strong and steady, and your breathing feels good." Katara moved her gloved hand to his head. "And you don't have a fever again. Good. You seem all the way better. But just to make sure I want to check you twice a day for the next couple days. Okay?"

"Yes, ma'am." Zuko did a mock salute and chuckled.

"Oh goodness, Zuko." She giggled and swatted his hand down. "Now get your shirt back on and get to bed." Katara ushered Zuko out of her room, and then went back to the bathroom to start a bath. She poured a sweet smelling liquid into the bath as the tub filled up, forming bubbles. She slipped off her clothing, and stepped into the tub, relishing the feeling of the water against her skin. _Water is the best element. Life. Comfort. Connection. Healing. Love. It is everything._

Katara laid in the water for a long time, swirling the water around, washing her body, her hair. She gloved her hand in water, and put it on the sore muscles around her body. _Carrying Zuko really took a toll on me._ After she loosened up her muscles, Katara sat up in the tub. _I haven't had a bubble bath in so long._ Katara scooped up a handful of bubbles, and blew them into the air. The bubbles burst and blew apart. They slowly drifted back to the tub. Katara giggled in delight. She felt like a kid again. She scooped up more bubbles, and threw them into the air.

Suddenly an idea struck her. _How much water is in bubbles?_

Katara brushed her hair back, and concentrated. She lifted her hands in the air, closed her eyes, and felt for the water in the bubbles. Slowly, she felt it; trace amounts of water were mixed in the bubbles. She moved her hands, and a trail of bubbles followed her movements. Katara moved her arms apart, and the trail of bubbles split apart. She moved her arms in a big circle, and brought her hand together and twisted her wrist. The bubbles came back together, and started forming into one big bubble. _Let's see if this will work._ Katara focused intently on the bubble. It was so thin it would be so easy to pop. She moved her fingers and wrists in intricate patterns, and slowly the bubble changed shape, from a circular blob, to a heart, to a five-pointed star. Katara breathed onto the star, and froze it. She caught the star, and examined her work. In her hands was a plate-sized hollow star. It was incredible. Katara couldn't keep it in anymore. She threw her head back and laughed. _Oh gods, this is so much fun!_

She stayed in the bath for another 10 minutes or so. When she got out, she dried off, dressed, brushed her hair, and slipped into her bed. Katara was asleep in minutes.

Footsteps echoed down the hallway. The guard stopped in front of a cell and knelt.

"Everything is going according to plan. The Avatar and his friends are still at the palace. People are still confused by the virus. Nobody suspects a thing. The recruits are doing well, we have almost 10 waterbenders now. What do you want to do next My Lady?"

Azula laughed and walked to the front of the cell. Her hair was long, almost to her waist. She was taller, thinner. But hatred still burned in her eyes.

"Good. Thank you Kusho. You have been loyal to your true Fire Lord. Once I am back on the throne you shall be rewarded. But as for the plan, well, I think you and your soldiers are gonna pay Zuzu a little visit…"

 ** _Well, what about that, huh? Azula's back! Did any of you guys see her coming into this story? What do you think she's gonna do? And what about that "bubble bending"? Was that just totally lame? (not even a little cool?) I enjoyed writing this chapter and hopefully you enjoyed reading it. Review, I'd love to hear from you guys._**


	5. Chapter 5

_**Hey guys, just realized my markers for when scenes change have been cut out. I'm sorry if that's made the story confusing. It should be better in this chapter. Sorry! Also, Sorry about the lag between chapters. Hopefully, this extra long chapter makes up for it! (This one was so long, I am turning it into 2 chapters.)**_

 _ **As always, comment what you guys think!**_

 **Disclamer:** **I still do not own A:TLA or any part of it. Just a fan, dreaming of a different ending.**

 **Chapter 5**

 **Schedules**

Zuko awoke the next morning with the sun. After he finished his morning exercise, he dressed and met the Gaang in the dining hall.

"Well hey there. Thanks for finally joining us." Toph said sarcastically.

"I didn't think anyone else would be up yet. Why are you guys up already?" Zuko sat down, quite puzzled.

"Duh, we're up to help you. Gotta stay on schedule!" Sokka pulled out a rolled parchment from a bag on his chair. He unrolled it on the table and it was so long it went off the end of the table. "See we need to start every morning, at sunrise." Sokka motioned to the parchment, which was full of long lines of many different colors. Small handwriting was scattered across it. "Each of us are a color. Zuko you're red, for obvious reasons. Toph, you're green. Aang, you're orange. Suki and I are yellow, and Katara is blue. Now, I've planned each of our daily routines, so that we can conquer this sickness in the fastest amount of time."

"Wow, what? Who said you are in charge? This is Zuko's nation after all." Toph did not seem happy with being so controlled.

"Oh don't worry, I didn't plan what each of you are doing. I put general titles for each section of your day. Zuko can be the one to assign you jobs." Sokka said. All eyes turned to Zuko.

"Wha… Um… I don't… Um…" Zuko cleared his throat, gained his composure, and continued. "I have been thinking about how each of you can help, but I didn't think I'd be telling you so soon. I haven't planned it all out."

"Hey, that's what I'm here for! You're plan-and-schedule-guy!" Sokka winked. "I got you covered man."

"...Thanks… Anyways. So, your 'assignments' as Sokka called them, are pretty simple. Toph, Aang, I want you to use Appa, visit all the places where rebels have been spotted, and gather whatever intel you can. Sokka, Suki, I want you guys here, taking in reports from cities either about the sickness, or the rebels, and try and find a pattern. Also, I need you to research what you can, and find out what you can from around the palace -servants, guards, scrolls- about past illnesses and my father's men. And then you," Zuko turned to Katara, "I need you to come with me to visit the sick, and see what you can do for them. Does that sound good?" He scanned the room, looking at all his friends. _Oh no, did I say something wrong? Why aren't they saying anything? Was this a stupid idea?_

"Man Zuko, you really are cut out to be a leader!" Toph slapped the table and laughed. Everyone joined her in laughing. Zuko's cheeks burned.

"So is all that okay? Are you guys up for it?"

"Hell yeah! Team Avatar, back in action!" Sokka pumped his fist in excitement.

"Why not? My school will be fine without me for a few more days." Toph leaned back, acting nonchalant, but Zuko could tell she was glad to be 'back in action'.

"What are friends for Zuko? Of course I'm here for you." Katara smiled at the Fire Lord. _He has grown up so much. He is such an amazing leader._

"Thank you. Thank you all." Zuko bowed to his friends, and they bowed back.

"Well hate to break up this happy little moment, but we need to stay on schedule!" Sokka announced.

"Um, hate to poke holes in your scheduling, but if there is only one schedule, then how are we all supposed to follow it, and do our jobs?" Zuko questioned.

"I am glad you asked!" Sokka then reached in his bag, and pulled out 5 more scrolls. "I thought of everything. Trust me." Sokka started handing out a scroll to each person. "Now you all have one, and you can all fill in the areas with your specific job, and this way we will all be the most productive we can."

Last Sokka handed Toph a scroll. She took it eagerly, unrolled it upside down and exclaimed "Man Sokka, you really did think of everything. You even gave the blind person a scroll!" At the last part she shot Sokka a death glare. The Water Tribesman shied away from her glare.

"Well maybe not everything…" Sokka took the scroll from Toph, rolled it, and handed it to Aang. "You can keep track of it since you guys will be working together. Now everyone get going! Stick to the schedule!"

Everyone left the room in giggles. Zuko grabbed Katara as they were heading out, and pulled her aside.

"Katara, are you ready to go?" Zuko asked.

"Of course. Where are we going first?" Katara unrolled her scroll and looked for the current time on it.

"We are going to visit the sick. Do you have any clothes that you can use to cover your mouth? I don't want you to get sick."

"Oh about that, I figured out how the sickness is passed along. By bodily fluids."

"EW, what? That's how I got it?" Zuko looked disgusted.

"Yeah. So it's simple, don't let them cough or sneeze on you." Katara teased.

"Yeah… Simple."

The two walked out of the palace and began their journey to the physicians.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Toph threw her bag over her shoulder and walked out of her room, to meet up with Aang. They walked silently to the stable where Appa was being kept. Toph could tell Aang had a lot on his mind. His footsteps were heavier than normal, and he hung his head a little.

Toph punched the Air Nomad in the arm.

"Ow!" Aang shouted, rubbing the sore spot. "What was that for?"

"You're mopey, and I don't like it. So… cheer up." Toph answered.

"And punching me is supposed to help me?"

"It's how I show affection."

Before Aang could respond, they arrived in the stables, and Appa licked Aang.

"Hey buddy! It's good to see you too!" Aang flew up, and hugged Appa's large head. Toph gave him a small pat on the nose, and whispered "I missed you Appa."

Aang airbent himself onto his head, gathered the reins, and asked, "Well we don't got all day. We gotta stick to the schedule. Come on slowpoke!"

Toph laughed and bent herself onto the saddle. After securing her bag, she sat down and Aang took off.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It took about 10 minutes for Zuko and Katara to get to the physician's place. As they arrived, an elderly man with a balding head, a long gray beard, kind eyes, and a big belly came out and greeted them.

"I am so glad you finally made it your highness!" The man bowed. As he stood back up, he seemed to finally see Katara. "Oh! And who is this exotic beauty that you bring with you?"

"Renzang, this is Master Katara of the Southern Water Tribe." Zuko stated

Renzang gasped at her name. " _The_ Master Katara? _The_ Master Healer herself?" He fell into a deep bow. "Thank you, thank you, thank you. It is such an honor to meet you." He grabbed Katara's hand and kissed it.

Katara was shocked at the sudden show of adoration. "Oh thank you Renzang. I'm honored to be of help. I'll try and help as much as I can."

"Renzang, how about showing us the patients now?" Zuko asked. Renzang quickly stood straight, and led them inside.

"Since the last time you were here Fire Lord Zuko, we have had 3 more cases." Renzang led them down the middle of the room. On either side there were 6 beds set up a few feet apart from each other. All 12 beds were filled.

"For most of them, their fevers are down, and they are more coherent. But, there are a few who are very sick. They are in the back."

"I'd cover your mouth now if I were you." Katara whispered to Zuko, pulling a cloth and tying it around her mouth and nose. Zuko followed suit.

As the three walked down the aisle, there were murmurs and whispers.

"Is that Master Katara?"

"What is she doing here?"

"Is she here to help us?"

"She's come to help us!"

"Master Katara! You've come to help"

"Seems like you have a couple fans here." Zuko whispered grinning.

Katara was astonished. Looking at these patients, with pale sweaty faces and sunken cheeks, she could see the hope she brought to them. Their eyes lit up. Many of them tried sitting up, while others reached out to her.

She went to the bedside of one of the patients. The patient was a female, looking to be about 25 with short black hair, round yellow eyes, and full lips.

"Hi miss, I'm here to help you." Katara placed a hand on hers. "Can you tell me your name?"

"Thank you Master Katara. My name is Jai ling." The woman carefully sat up.

"Can you tell me about when you first got sick?" Katara asked kindly. Turning around she said, "Zuko, bring me a pitcher of water and a cloth please."

"I will try my best Master Katara. It was about 2 weeks ago. I woke up one morning with a bad fever. I went to prepare some herbs, when… when... " Jai Ling started crying. "My little boy came in, and… I thought he… I saw him as… I thought he was an animal. I was hallucinating! I didn't mean to scare him… I didn't mean to scare him…" She broke down in tears. In between sobs she continued, "That's when… my… my husband came in. He, he grabbed me… and, and took me to the village… physician. I haven't seen my boy since."

Katara wetted the cloth she held, and patted the woman's forehead. "It'll be okay. I'm sure they'll understand. And once I heal you" Katara hummed, "you'll be able to go back home to your husband and son." She pulled water from the pitcher, gloved her hands, and brought them to Jai Ling's forehead.

"Oh no, please! I'm okay." Jai Ling objected. "There are others that need it more than me. Please. Start in the back, they have it the worst."

"That is very kind of you Jai Ling. I know they would appreciate it." Katara gathered the cloth and pitcher, and walked to the back of the room.

"What she said was right. We keep the worst cases back here." Renzang added.

Katara walked to the last beds. To her right was a young boy, probably no older than Aang. To her left was an older man, probably around 30. But he was different than the rest of the patients. This man was covered with bandages.

Katara quickly went to the older man's side. "Sir, can you hear me?" she asked as she started unwrapping the bandages on his left arm. His arm was covered in scratches and scabs. She gloved her hands in water, and laid them on his arm. Immediately, the scabs went away and the scratches started knitting themselves back together. Within minutes his arm was clear of wounds.

"Incredible…" Renzang leaned in closer. "Just incredible. You are a very gifted healer Master Katara."

Katara removed the bandages around his head, and healed the wounds there. Then she moved to his leg.

"He has a minor fracture along his shin, and a sprain in his ankle. This may take awhile." Katara explained to the two men.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Zuko pulled up a stool, and watched as Katara started to heal the man's leg. Her hands started glowing and she closed her eyes in concentration. Zuko would never admit it aloud, but he was jealous of Katara. She was so kind, so loving, and so free. She was the embodiment of her element, always adapting, gentle, fierce, and strong. And he was the opposite. Fire was steadfast, merciless, and sharp. Water healed, and fire burned. Zuko wished he could be gentle and loving like her.

The Fire Lord found it soothing to watch Katara heal the patients. She was so gentle, whispering reassuring words to them, and slowly moving her hands across their bodies. She healed 3 people by noon. But they still didn't have their bending.

As Zuko and Katara left the clinic, she promised to come back later and finish.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Toph did not like flying. She never has and never will. _I am completely blind up here! I don't like feeling so vulnerable._

"Hey Twinkletoes, are we almost there yet?" Toph yelled.

"Almost! I can see the village just over that hill. This is the place where the most rebels were spotted." Aang answered.

A few minutes passed and they finally landed in a big field. Toph jumped off Appa with her bag in hand. Aang met up with her seconds later.

"Okay Appa, you gotta stay here while we check out the town okay?" Appa gave a grunt in reply. "Thanks buddy."

With that, Aang and Toph started their walk to the village.

"So Toph, how is your school going?" Aang questioned.

"Oh, really well. A few of my students have a lot of promise, and I plan on asking them to stay to teach." Toph answered.

"Oh wow, that's really neat!"

"Hey, what have you been up to these past few months Twinkletoes? I heard you broke up with Katara. Do you still travel?"

"Oh um…" Toph could feel Aang's heart rate pick up. "Well, I usually stay at the Northern Air Temple and help teach the Air Acolytes about Nomadic culture. But I do travel some still… just not like I used to… with Katara." Aang's voice got quiet at the end.

Toph punched him again.

"OW! Hey, stop that!" Aang grimaced. "You're the one who brought her up."

"True. But you need to get over it. I can tell you're still hung up on her."

"But…"

"Aang it's been a year. You need to-"

"THE AVATAR IS HERE!"

The yell came from a stout, balding man, who ran up to them as they got to the beginning of the village.

"Oh kind and gracious Avatar Aang, thank you for visiting our humble village." The man fell into a deep bow. Toph could tell Aang didn't know what to do.

"Well, thank you sir. But we are here on a mission. Who is the leader here?" Toph demanded.

"Oh, miss, you are looking at him. I am Guan He, leader of the village Rehendo. And you are, miss-?"

Toph was surprised. _He doesn't recognize me? What? How?_ "You don't recognize me? I am the great-"

Toph was interrupted again. But this time it was Aang, who covered her mouth.

"This is my friend, Toph Beifong. She is accompanying me on my mission." Aang could tell Toph was annoyed, and he couldn't have her scaring this poor guy off. They needed his help. "Now sir, we are here because you reported Phoenix King Loyalists here?"

"Ah, yes. They've been gathering for about 2 weeks now. It started out as only 2 or 3 of them, but now there are as many as 15 or 20. Every day, they cause mayhem in the village bars, and every night, they gather in the village square, and try and recruit soldiers. They are quite troublesome and it would be much appreciated if you could rid our village of them." As Guan He explained all this, he led Toph and Aang down the road. They passed rows of houses, and as they got closer to the center of the village, the houses got bigger, and nicer.

"Now, this is our Village Square. In front of you is our temple. To the left of you are the bars and restaurants they frequent, and then behind and to your right are our shops."

Toph stomped her foot on the ground to get a better view of the place. The village was set up like a wheel spoke. For the center of the wheel, the boxing, there was the village square. Then 5 roads split off in all directions from the center creating the spokes. Toph was shocked to find that the village was very symmetrical.

"Do you know where the rebels stay at?" Toph asked Guan He.

"Oh yes. It's just south of you. Towards the end of the road, there is an inn. Just head down this road" Guan He pointed to the road directly behind them. "And you'll know the Inn when you see it."

Aang thanked him and pulled Toph towards the Inn.

"Come on. The schedule says we have until noon to find some rebels. Then we have lunch, and then we question the rebels." Aang instructed.

Toph snorted and dragged her feet. _This is ridiculous. We aren't gonna find anything at an Inn._

"Oh here it is! The Crimson Ribbon Inn. How… fun." Aang sighed.

Toph stomped her foot. She couldn't get a good read on the building, only the outline of it. "Wow bud, they have wood floors in there. No way am I going in there to find some rebels! I'll be completely blind!" Toph exclaimed as she folded her arms across her chest.

"Oh come on Toph." Aang pleaded. "It'll be okay. You can hold onto me. And you'll have your space bracelet. You won't be completely vulnerable in there."

"No way." Toph stuck her nose in the air, and turned around. "You can't make me."

"Toph stop being such a child, and get in there. Zuko needs our help." Aang reached out to grab her shoulder, but she shook his hand off.

"Then I will wait out here. You can go in."

Knowing how stubborn Toph could be, Aang went into the Inn alone. "Fine. But stay by the door, just in case they make a break for it."

Aang left Toph by the front door and went into the Inn.

The blind earthbender sat on the ground and waited. She drew patterns in the dirt, and molded her space bracelet into different shapes. A couple minutes passed like this, and Toph started getting impatient.

"Ugh, how long does it take to-" Toph stopped in the middle of her sentence. She felt footsteps nearby.

"Did you hear about last night?" A deep voice asked. The voice came from her right, on the other side of the Inn.

"No, I was just transferred here. What happened?" A second voice answered.

"Oh man, you missed out. Last night was our most successful yet. We got 6 new recruits! The boss is so pleased that he's coming himself to interview them." The first voice responded.

They were closer now. Toph needed to hide. She jumped in a pile of boxes and slowed her breathing so she could hear them.

"No way! I'll actually be able to meet _The_ boss? I thought no one knew who it was."

"Nah, it isn't _The_ boss. It's his right hand man though. He's meeting just west of town tonight."

"Oh wow, what is he doing here?"

"Well, what I heard was that things changed, and now _The Boss_ wants the plans done faster. So they're taking all the new recruits straight to Headquarters and-"

A loud crash echoed and the two men stopped dead in their tracks. Toph silently berated herself. She was the cause of the noise. _Damn, they're gonna find me now._

"What was that?" The first guy asked.

"I don't know, probably just a skunk possum." The second guy guessed.

"No way, that was too loud. I think someone's listening to us!" The first guy took off, and rounded the corner.

Toph jumped out of the pile of boxes just before the two men could see her. She quickly sat down and pretended to be idly drawing in the dirt.

"Hey, you" The first guy called out as he approached Toph. "What are you doing here?"

Toph carefully put on her most innocent face. "Who, me?" Toph purposely looked to the left of the man, making it clear she was blind.

"Yes, you. I asked you a question. Now stand up, and answer me." He commanded.

Toph ungracefully got to her feet, and gave a small bow. "Oh I'm sorry sir. I… I got lost… and this was where my mom said to go if I ever got lost… and" Toph sniffled a little, really getting into character. "I don't… I don't know where my mom is." She sniffled again, and lowered her head as if embarrassed. _Ha, these suckers won't know what hit them._

"Oh man. Lee!" The second guy smacked the first on the shoulder and pointed to his eyes and then to Toph. He was trying to discretely point out that she was blind. Toph giggled a little but played it off as a sob.

 _Man are they dense. How hard is it to tell I'm blind?_

"Oh miss I'm sorry. My name is Shu. And this is my buddy Lee. We're soldiers, we can help you find your mom." Shu gently grabbed Toph's hand and started leading her away.

"Oh thank you sir." Toph whimpered. _Man, I am good at this._

"So miss, what does your mom look like? So we can help find her." Lee asked innocently. Shu slapped the back of his head.

Toph almost broke character, she wanted to laugh so badly. _These guys are pathetic._

"I'm sorry! I mean… um… what's her name?" Lee questioned.

"Oh, her name is Lily! And she has long hair and a very pretty voice."

"Okay miss we'll ask around. Just stick with us." Shu gently patted Toph's hand.

"So what time is the boss getting here tonight?" Shu asked after a few moments of silence.

"Um, around 5. Are you gonna go?" Lee responded.

"Yeah I am! I want to get out of this small village, it's driving me crazy. I want to be where the action is."

"Slow down there bud. All in good time. We have to stay here for another week and then we can meet up at Headquarters."

"But why do we have to wait that long?" Lee complained.

"Because _The Boss_ isn't out yet. We gotta wait until he's free, for the whole plan to work."

"Oh whatever," Lee mumbled.

The two men kept walking and pulling Toph along with them. After a few minutes, they got to village square and started asking people if they have seen a woman named Lily.

The blind earthbender was really getting bored. _Damn him, where is Twinkletoes?_ All she wanted was to beat up some bad guys, but now she's gotta pretend to be a weak helpless girl. _I am not weak._

Finally, Toph felt familiar footsteps. _Too light to be any normal person._ Sure enough, Aang was running up the road straight to her.

"Found her!" Toph yelled and pointed to a random house. Both men looked, and Toph used the distraction to slip out of Shu's grasp, and run to Aang.

"Wait miss! I don't want you to… get hurt." Shu called after her, but stopped as he watched the blind girl expertly weave between people and over boxes. "But… she's blind…" Both men were completely confused.

Toph couldn't hold it in anymore. As she ran to Aang, she laughed until her eyes watered. When she got to Aang, she could hear him out of breath from running and laughing.

"Come on Toph, let's get out of here." Aang looped an arm around Toph's shoulders and the two walked happily back to Appa.

"Man, do I have a story for you…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Zuko lead Katara out of the clinic, and into Capital City. It was noon, and the sun was high, and hot. They walked down the crowded streets, looking for a place to eat. They passed many vendors who called out to them, and countless food stands. Zuko pulled his hood further over his head.

"So where do you want to eat Zuko?" Katara asked.

"Somewhere not so open. I was thinking this little tea shop down near the docks. Hopefully it isn't crowded right now." Zuko replied.

As they approached the tea shop, Zuko was happy to find that it wasn't too crowded. The tea shop was a little place called The Willow. It was a short building, with large windows. Little tables were placed accordingly inside and spilled outside onto the sidewalk. A young couple sat at one of the outside tables, and held hands across the table. Inside the shop, booths took up the sides of the shop, and tables were placed around the shop. Near the back, was the kitchen, with the counter where you placed your order, and waited to be seated.

Zuko and Katara waited in line to order their food. As their turn came around, a young man greeted them with a smile. "Well hello and welcome to The Willow! Can I interest you in our Couples Special milady?"

"Oh sir… " Katara blushed at his words. "We aren't together, just friends." Katara cleared her throat and continued. "I'd like a table for two, a pot of Jasmine tea and for me, a noodle soup." Katara smiled brightly at the waiter. "What do you want?" She turned to Zuko, making sure to get his attention. She didn't want to have to say his name. They'd be swarmed by people.

"I'll have some Sea Soup. Also, could we get 2 of your best fruit tarts?" Zuko lowered his voice so he wouldn't be recognized.

"Of course! Now, my name is Sesha and I will be your waiter today. Please follow me to your seats." Sesha walked around the counter and lead them to a window table in the far corner. "I will be back shortly with your tea." He left with a wink, and Katara blushed.

"I don't like the way that guy looks at you." Zuko mumbled. _Can't we have a different waiter?_ The young Fire Lord did not like how carelessly the man was flirting with Katara.

"What do you mean Zuko? He's just being nice!"

"Yeah, and I'm just a turtle duck. He is flirting with you Katara."

"Oh…"

"And I'm back! Here is your Jasmine Tea to start with." Sesha arrived with a large tray in hand. On it was a beautiful porcelain teapot, and two matching teacups. He carefully laid the two tea cups in front of Zuko and Katara, and poured their tea. "I made sure to get the most beautiful tea set, for the most beautiful woman here." Sesha winked again at Katara as he poured her tea.

"Oh you're too kind, thank you Sesha."

"May I know your name miss?"

"Oh, of course. My name is Katara." She held out her hand to shake his. Instead, he grabbed it, and kissed the top of it.

"Katara, what a beautiful and exotic name." Sesha let go of her hand. Katara blushed again.

As he walked away, Zuko snorted and mumbled something that Katara couldn't hear. _That guy doesn't have a chance. Katara is way too good for him._ Zuko looked up to the waterbender. She was looking at the tea set and Zuko could see the rosy tint of a blush still on her cheeks.

"I'll be back in a minute." Zuko got up and left the table.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Katara sat at the table, peacefully sipping her tea, and admiring the teapot. She was quite taken back with the waiters flirting. At first she didn't know how to respond. But now that she thought about it… _Sesha is pretty cute. With those big pale yellow eyes, and long black hair._

Katara was lost in thought and didn't notice Zuko leave. _Hmmm, I wonder where he went. Hopefully, he'll be back in time for our food._

Right as she thought it, the food arrived. Sesha stood at the edge of the table with a large tray. On it were 3 dishes. He set them down gracefully.

"Where has your friend gone?" Sesha asked thoughtfully.

"Oh, I don't know actually. But he should be back soon." Katara assured him.

"Would you like some company until he gets back?"

 _What?... I don't know…_ "Oh… Um…"

Sesha took that as an answer and sat in Zuko's seat. He eyed Katara, and gave her a sweet smile. "So Katara, I haven't seen you around before. Are you new here?"

"Well actually, I'm just visiting. I actually live in the North Pole."

"Oh really, that's fascinating. If you're water tribe, what are you doing visiting the Fire Nation? Do you have family here?" Sesha questioned.

Katara laughed. "No, I'm here visiting the Fire Lord." Katara laughed again at the face Sesha was making. His jaw dropped and his eyes widened.

"Wha… what? How do you…" Realization dawned on the waiter. "You're… you're that Katara! The one who helped Fire Lord Zuko defeat his father! You're the one who helped heal and rebuild all those Fire Nation villages! You're a hero!" Sesha was practically shouting by the end.

"Oh shh. I don't want everyone to know." Katara reached and placed a hand on Sesha's. "Thank you for your kind words. But I'm no hero. I just help when I can."

"Oh please. You are a hero. You found and trained the Avatar. You are a master waterbender and healer. You defeated-"

"Please Sesha." Katara pleaded "I'm just here to have lunch with my friend."

"I'm sorry Master Katara of the Southern Water Tribe. I will leave you to your food now." Sesha bowed and started walking away, but Katara grabbed his arm.

"Oh Sesha, that's not what I meant. Please sit. At least until he gets back?"

Sesha beamed, "Of course Master Katara!"

"Just Katara will do."

"Yes, Katara. So how long are you in the Fire Nation for?"

"Oh I don't know. I arrived about a week ago, but I don't know how long I will be staying."

"And you're staying in the palace? _The_ Fire Nation Royal Palace?" he asked incredulously.

Katara chuckled, "Yes, _The_ Fire Nation Royal Palace. It is as lovely as you have heard."

"What's he like? The Avatar? I heard you travelled with him for a long time… I also heard that you two were dating?"

"Oh, Aang. He is an amazing person. Filled with so much happiness and hope. Yes I travelled for two years with him. And yes, we were together, but I ended it over a year ago."

"Oh, I'm sorry to bring it up again… What's the Fire Lord like? Do you ever get to see him?"

Before Katara could answer, she saw Zuko walking towards them. "Well, why don't you ask him yourself?" Katara motioned behind him, to the approaching figure with the hood.

Sesha practically fell out of his seat. "Your highness… Fire Lord… Sir…" He started to bow, but Zuko waved him off.

"Not in public please. I can't have everyone know that I'm here." Zuko took his seat. He was pleased that he caused the waiter to be so nervous. _That'll show him to flirt with my Katara. Wait, my? Where did that come from?_

"Sesha here was just keeping me company while you were away." Katara giggled as she watched the waiter bounce nervously, looking between a Master Waterbender and the Fire Lord himself. _The poor boy is gonna faint._ "But now, I think it'd be best if you got back to work?"

"Yes, yes of course. Thank you Master Katara." He bowed once to her. "Thank you Lord Zuko." He bowed once to him, and then went back to the kitchen.

"That poor boy, you nearly gave him a heart attack!" Katara remarked.

Zuko couldn't help but chuckle. "I think that's your fault, _Master Katara_. You're the one who told him who I was."

"Oh shush up, and eat your noodles." Katara teased as they slowly slipped into a comfortable silence.

Once they finished, they left a few coins on the table and started heading out the door.

"Wait! Katara!" Sesha called out.

"Go on Zuko, I'll meet you outside." Katara turned around as Zuko stormed off mumbling something about Sesha.

"Hi, Sesha."

"Katara, I was wondering if you would like to go on a date with me. I mean you don't have to. You probably have lots of other more important things to do, or better dates to go It's totally cool if you don't want to-"

"Sesha, slow down. Breathe" Katara teased. "I would love to go on a date with you."

"Really?" Sesha grinned from ear to ear. "Great! Thank you! How about this Friday night, in two days, we can go to dinner?"

"That sounds great. Send word to the Palace of when and where, and I'll see you then." Katara leaned forward and quickly kissed the young waiter on the cheek. She left before he could say anything more.

Once she was outside, she met up with Zuko and told him what happened. For some reason, he didn't look too happy about it.

"What's wrong Zuko?" She asked.

"Nothing." He said, unconvincingly. "Let's get back to the Physician's place and finish all the healing we can before we have to go back to the palace." Zuko picked up his pace, and Katara struggled to match it.

When they got back to the clinic, Katara immediately started the healing. Zuko pulled up a stool, ready to help if she needed it.

For the most part, Katara didn't need help, so Zuko was left to his own thoughts. _What is going on with me?_ Why was he so frustrated at lunch? Nothing even happened… _Except that boy flirting with Katara_ his subconscious brought up. _Shut up, that's not it. Why would that annoy me? It's not like I'm jealous… Right?_ There was no way Zuko could be jealous. I mean it just wasn't possible. _Was it? She's just a friend. Just a friend._ The Fire Lord pulled himself from his thoughts and looked over at Katara. She was standing over the figure of a man. He was murmuring and groaning. Katara whispered reassuring words to him, and soothed him to sleep. Zuko watched as she gently glided her hands over the man's forehead, to his chest, and back again. Her hair was coming out of the braid, and fell around her, framing her face in beautiful chocolate waves. Her bright blue eyes stood out entrancingly against her dark skin. There was no denying it. Katara was a beautiful woman.

 _Maybe I am jealous._

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"Wait, hold on a minute. You convinced those soldiers you were a lost helpless blind girl, and learned all of that information, _and_ didn't get caught?!" Aang still couldn't believe it. Toph just grinned and kicked her feet up. The two friends were happily seated on the ground on Appa's saddle as they ate lunch. Appa was nearby playing with Momo.

"I'm just that good Twinkletoes. I'm just that good."

"Well I'm glad you stayed outside then, cause inside was a bust. I didn't find out anything!"

"Oh it's okay, it takes time to master the art of information-gathering like I have."

"You didn't even do anything though. You just happened to be in the right place at the right time. What I still can't believe is that they talked so openly about their plans in front of you."

"Oh that's easy. All my life, I've learned to use my blindness to my advantage. You'd be surprised how much I learned just by playing dumb. Sometimes people forgot that it's my sight that I don't have, not my hearing."

"Really? Wow. You are incredible." Aang mused.

"Why thank you. Now, hand me some more food." Toph demanded. Aang handed her some egg rolls, and started munching on some cookies himself.

"So Toph, I was thinking that we'll get some disguises and sneak into that meeting tonight. There we can find some good information."

"What we should really do, is set up a trap, and capture the boss. I bet if we bring him back to Zuko, we'd be able to get some really good information." Toph surmised.

"Yes, I think that's a good idea."

"So, here's what we could do…"


	6. Chapter 6

_**Dear readers, terribly sorry for the long delay in getting this chapter up. Don't hate me too much. But it seems that life has decided to throw me a couple curve balls that I've been dealing with. Anyways. ENJOY THE NEW CHAPTER**_

 **Chapter 6**

 **Prisoners**

Toph and Aang crouched behind a bush, waiting for the meeting to start. They had been hiding for a half hour now. The two benders decided the best thing to do was arrive early to the spot, and lie in wait until the boss guy came. Aang looked to Toph, waiting for her to signal the approaching of the soldiers.

Toph nodded to Aang, "They're coming over the hill now. I feel about 10 people total."

"We'll have to separate him from the rest of the group, or else it'll be a lot harder to catch him."

"Hey, I never back down from a fight. We can take them." Toph grunted.

"I know we can, but if we do, they'll know that their leader was kidnapped, and I bet they'd be able to figure out who did it. They could plan an attack that we aren't prepared for." Aang reasoned

"Hmph. Fine. We'll do it your way, and draw the leader out. But how do you suppose we do that?"

"Well, I was thinking-"

"Shh!" Toph covered Aang's mouth and brought a finger to her lips.

"All new recruits line up along here. He should be here soon enough." A loud voice commanded. Toph felt as the man pulled and pushed other people into a line. The blind earthbender could feel that the line of men were made of rather young boys, the youngest being the same age as Aang. "Now," the man continued, "you will show him respect when he arrives. You will bow. You will keep quiet. You will address him as 'Sir'. You will not speak unless spoken to." The man continued his lecture, pacing back and forth in front of the line like a commander in front of his army.

"Now Tirrim that's enough. I can't have you scaring them off." A new voice cut in, addressing the man lecturing the recruits, Tirrim. Toph could tell this new guy was the leader, by the way everyone reacted to his appearance. Some bowed, and some averted their eyes, but everyone was facing him. "Hello, everyone. My name is Xeng, and I am so happy to be here with you today. You have all done the right thing, joining us to serve your nation. We are a group dedicated to the restoration of our beautiful nation. The war was hard on all nations, but we took the brunt of it. We have lost what makes the Fire Nation great. We have no culture, no pride anymore. But that is all going to change. Our leader is a visionary, and has created the perfect plan to bring the Fire Nation back to the top! Right, where we belong. Soon, the other nations will bow to us, as we make history. They will grovel at the feet of our Fire Lord. They will marvel at the beauty and power of the Fire Nation. And you all are going to help us do it. The plan is to bring you to Headquarters and immediately start your training. Don't worry, you're families will be taken care of. And by the end of this, you can return to them as heroes!" Xeng was a natural leader. He talked to the crowd easily and didn't stutter. By the end of his speech, the recruits were excitedly murmuring amongst themselves. "Tirrim, lead them to the ship."

"Yes sir" Tirrim bowed and then motioned for the recruits to follow him. "What about you sir?"

"I have some business to attend to in town. I will be at headquarters soon, though, farewell." Xeng turned and started down the path to the village, while Tirrim led the rest of the group the opposite way, to the docks.

Toph quickly pulled Aang to his feet. "Come on, we gotta follow Xeng." _This is too easy. We didn't even have to try._

Toph and Aang crept behind Xeng, keeping their distance and staying in the shadows. Toph waited until the other group was out of earshot and then motioned to Aang.

In sync, both benders jumped out of hiding and ran towards Xeng. Once he realized he was being pursued, Xeng started running.

"Now!" yelled Aang. Both he and Toph jumped into the air and landed in the horse stance, with both arms tucked in. Together they pushed their arms out and up, forcing the rocks around Xeng's feet to jump and surround his body. Toph hastily pulled off her space bracelet, and molded it onto Xeng's face, to block his eye sight. Aang pulled out a small cloth and stuffed it into the man's mouth to muffle his yelling. The guy never even saw their faces.

Aang pulled a whistle out of his pocket and blew it. Within minutes Appa was landing next to them. Aang had packed and loaded Appa's saddle before they left so that they could make a quick getaway.

"Come on, let's get this guy loaded." Toph launched the guy into the air out of his rock holding, and onto Appa. Aang quickly jumped on and secured the prisoner to the saddle. Toph was the last to climb on, and then Aang took off for the Fire Nation Royal Palace.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Everyone was enjoying dinner when Toph and Aang barged through the door yelling.

"EVERYONE UP! WE'RE GOING ON AN ADVENTURE." Toph motioned to the friends all seated at the table. "HAVE WE GOT A SURPRISE FOR YOU."

Aang met the group in the hall, and lead them to the stables. Once everyone was gathered around a lump of cloth, Toph and Aang dramatically pulled the cloth off and yelled "Ta da!"

Gasps echoed through the stables as each person took in the sight underneath the cloth. A young, well dressed man was tied up, gagged, and blindfolded with what looked to be rock.

"Toph! Aang! What have you done!" Katara shrieked. She ran to the man and started to untie him.

"No no no, wait. He has information for us! He is the second-in-command!" Toph explained as she pulled Katara away. Desperate, she turned to Aang, "and you're okay with this?"

The air nomad shrugged, "We're not hurting him, and we're going to let him go. What's the harm?"

"The harm? He is a human being! He shouldn't be bound and gagged like some animal! Even though he is bad, doesn't mean he should be treated like this. What are you going to do to him?" Katara stood in front of the man protectively.

"We're going to get him to talk. He's going to help us stop the rebels Katara."

"Do you really think he'd tell us anything? He is the second-in-command for a reason. He's good at keeping secrets. How do you propose we get him to talk?" Katara looked around the room. Aang was pointedly avoiding her gaze. Toph just shrugged, and Sokka was fiddling with his knife. Katara's eyes widened at the realization. "You are going to force him to tell you what you want?" She was practically screaming. "Since when did we become so brutal? Aang! Are you really going to stand for this?"

"Well no… I, yes… I mean sort of?" He fumbled out.

"What do you mean sort of? You are the Avatar and a monk! You aren't violent!"

Aang looked ashamed. After some careful thinking, the Avatar spoke. "You guys, Katara is right. We're supposed to be the good guys. We can't do this."

Sokka stepped forward. "I'm sorry Aang, but if what you guys told us, and they're gathering an army, then we need information. If you want, you can leave."

"SOKKA!" Katara yelled, betrayal evident in her voice and face. She started towards her brother when Zuko stepped forward cautiously, with his palms up, "Katara, you have to calm down. I know it doesn't seem right, but this is what we have to do. He is going to tell us valuable information about the Rebels. This could mean the difference between winning or having a civil war break out in my country. Please." He walked to Katara and wrapped his arm around her. Gently, he walked her into the hall while the others took off the gag and started talking to the man. Zuko saw Aang slip out and disappear down the hallway.

"Zuko, I just don't understand why we have to be so cruel." Tears were starting to form in Katara's eyes. "It's not right."

"Shh shh." Zuko pulled Katara to his chest and soothed her. "It'll be okay." he murmured into her ear.

Minutes passed with Zuko gently holding Katara, until she gave a deep sigh, and stood up straight. "Thank you Zuko. This has just been a crazy day. I have just felt so useless not being able to really help the sick, and then this? I guess it just got to me."

Zuko's eyes widened. "Useless?" he repeated. "How can you feel useless? If it weren't for you, those sick people would still be mumbling about flying hippo cows! You have done more than me for my country, Katara."

"Well… Um… I guess I just don't like how I can't fix their bending."

"...I'm sorry."

"Well, it's getting late, I think I'm going to go get some sleep." Katara started to walk away. "Goodnight Zuko."

"Wait," He called out, grabbing her arm, "Can I walk you to your room?"

A small blush appeared on Katara's cheeks. "Oh… sure. I'd like that."

 _Pink looks good on her_ Zuko decided. He held out his arm, and Katara linked her's through his, while her blush deepened. Zuko smirked at her rosy cheeks. He liked how he had this effect on her.

Soon, the two friends were on their way to Katara's room. They passed the time with idle conversation. Once they arrived at her door, Zuko bid Katara goodnight, and as he was turning around, Katara leaned up and gave him a small peck on the cheek. _Oh..._ Zuko stopped dead in his tracks. He could feel the blush burning in his cheeks. Slowly, once his mind unfogged, the young Fire Lord headed back to his room. As he was walking away, he heard a soft click as Katara shut her door.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

As Zuko walked back to his room, thoughts of a certain waterbender swam through his head. He lifted his hand to his face, touching the spot where Katara's soft lips had brushed against his cheek.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 _Katara stood in the middle of a field. There was only tall grass, as far as she could see. Suddenly, an old lady appeared to her left. Katara recognized her, and fear flowed through her body._ Hama _. The older waterbender charged her, cackling. Katara could feel that familiar heaviness set in her blood, as her limbs were taken over by Hama. But unlike last time, Katara couldn't break out of her hold. Fear gripped her insides, as Katara fought against Hama._

 _Then suddenly, Katara was in a garden, and Hama was nowhere to be seen. Looking around, she recognized it as the Fire Nation Palace garden. She walked to the pond and saw a black clothed figure crouched by the pond edge. As Katara walked forward, the black figure turned around and a familiar scarred firebender stood in front of her. He reached out and pulled her close._

"Katara…"

 _He wrapped his arm around her waist, while his other hand cradled the side of her face. Slowly, Zuko leaned down…_

Katara woke up suddenly and sat up in bed. The memory of her dream came to mind, and Katara blushed. Slowly, she fell back asleep.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The following morning, everyone gathered in the dining hall for breakfast.

"Hey, there you are Zuko! Where'd you disappear to last night? We got some good information from the guy!" Sokka said.

"Oh, I was tired, I went to bed a little early. I'm sorry. Before we get to that, though, do any of you have any updates from your assignments?" Zuko asked.

"Actually yes," Suki interjected. "I found some interesting scrolls in the… Ummm… Forbidden part of the library…"

"Well go on, what did they say?" Zuko didn't mind that she was looking through 'forbidden scrolls', he just wanted information.

"So, you know how you said you don't think the illness is natural? WelI I found this one scroll from this ancient waterbending master named Master Sorrik. I looked him up, and he was banned from his village nearly 150 years ago because of his practicing."

"What did he practice? Why was he banned?" Katara wondered aloud.

"Well… Because he was using blood bending to create illnesses."

"What?! That's absurd!" Katara declared.

"Is that even possible?" Sokka asked.

All eyes turned to Katara. "Wha… Why are you all looking at me? I'm not Master Sorrik!"

"But you are a blood bender." Zuko stated.

Memories of last nights dream went through Katara's head, _Hama._ "That doesn't mean I'm a monster like Sorrik! Just because I can blood bend doesn't mean I know everything about it… I avoid blood bending at all costs." Katara yelled defensively.

"I'm sorry to ask this of you, but do you think you could look into it?" Zuko pleaded.

Zuko could see the hurt in Katara's eyes. "I promised myself I would never blood bend again." Hama's evil cackle seemed to echo through the room. "It is evil. I, I'm sorry Zuko, but I can't" Katara hung her head in defeat.

"I understand. Thank you anyways. With that information, some things have come into focus. First thing, I believe that this sickness that is spreading is man made, the same way that Suki just explained. Second… I believe that the rebels are behind it." Zuko watched each person carefully, reading their faces and calculating their reactions. When he turned to Katara, he was surprised to see that the information didn't affect her. "Katara, did you know this already?"

"Well, I wasn't sure, but it does confirm my suspicions. When I was healing those patients today, their blood felt weird. It felt heavy and thick. It felt like mine had when Hama blood bent me…" Her voice was barely a whisper. "But I didn't say anything because I didn't know it was possible to create an illness like that, so severe that it took away ones bending…."

"Oh…"

The table fell into an awkward silence until Toph broke it by burping rather loudly. Everyone broke into laughter. Instantly the mood changed.

"So Sokka, what happened last night? Mind filling me in?" Zuko asked his water tribe friend.

"Sure thing man. First off, the guy's name is Xeng. He is like the acting leader for the Phoenix King Rebels. That is until _The Boss_ gets out. Whatever that means. Anyways-"

"Wait, 'gets out'? As in the boss is in prison?" Zuko questioned.

"Well that's what I figured, but the guy didn't say anything more. _Anyways_ -"

"He has to be talking about my dad! Ozai!" Zuko suddenly stood up. "It makes sense. They're gathering, claiming to be Phoenix King loyalists! My father claimed to be the Phoenix King! They must be planning on breaking him out, and getting him back on the throne! He must be behind the sickness!"

"Way to steal my thunder man! I was about to reveal all that!" Sokka said dejectedly. "He also talked about how they're forming an army and that we aren't gonna stand a chance, once they attack."

Zuko's face paled. _It sounds like they're going to attack soon..._ "Well, then we have to stop them! Where are their headquarters?"

"Oh, um I don't know. He wouldn't tell us, and we felt that we shouldn't, um, force him…" Zuko heard as Katara let out a sigh of relief.

 _Interesting… He told them quite a lot without any incentive._ Sokka continued "I don't think he's gonna tell us much more. What should we do with him now?"

"Hmmm. Throw him in prison. That'll at least cause them some discomfort, losing their second in command. Our main focus now is to find more rebels, and find their headquarters. Aang, Toph, I need you both to try and locate their base. Sokka, look into all of my father's plans, and see if they shed any light on the situation. Suki, can you help him with that? And then Katara, I need you to continue healing the sick." A chorus of agreements echoed across the table. "Thank you." Zuko sat back down and finished his breakfast.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Katara was not having a good morning. She had very strange dreams, woke up late, rushed to breakfast, and then was berated with questions about blood bending. _I will not blood bend. I promised I wouldn't, not ever._ And now, she had to go spend the day with Zuko! _Oh, that is going to be so awkward…_ She just didn't understand why she had kissed him last night, even if it was just on the cheek. _Because you like him_ her subconscious supplied. _No way, that can't be it. There's no way I could like Zuko, with his broad shoulders, golden eyes, and perfect manners… Wow, where did all that come from?_ Shaking her head, Katara cleared her mind of all thoughts of Zuko and finished getting ready.

A knock at the door startled Katara, and she jumped up to open it. Zuko was leaning against the frame, waiting for her. She hurriedly grabbed her satchel and closed the door behind her. Zuko was already halfway down the hallway, and she ran to catch up with him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Dinner time came around, and everyone gathered in the dining hall to eat. Zuko and Katara were the first ones in and greeted everyone as they walked in. Once everyone was seated, Zuko addressed them all. "Now that everyone is here, I'd like an update on what you guys have accomplished today."

"Sorry Zuko, but we didn't really learn much. None of the rebels we cornered today knew where the base was, or who _The Boss_ really is." Aang confessed as Toph shrugged.

"I didn't find out much through your father's scrolls. He has so many, it's going to take days to go through them all." Sokka added.

"Well, I had a bit more success than you all today. Zuko you already know this, but I have healed half of the patients already! They are in good enough condition that they should be heading home by the end of the week." Katara chimed in proudly.

"That is true. And luckily we haven't had any other cases. Maybe we stopped it in time before it became an epidemic." Zuko said hopefully.

Dinner was over quickly and everyone split off to do their own thing. Toph went off to the courtyard, probably to spar with some guards. Aang went to the stables to see Appa and Momo. Sokka and Suki went to their room to put little Tikaani to bed. Katara went to the garden to train Nyra, and Zuko decided to watch their little lesson.

"Now Nyra, elbows in more, there you go." Katara was circling Nyra as the little water bender went through basic water bending movements. "Now forward, good… Back, good good. You are doing very well. I see you have been practicing even though we haven't been training every day." Katara turned her back to Nyra and walked to a nearby bush. Stealthily, the Master water bender broke off a branch and tucked it into her sleeve. As Katara turned around, she threw the stick at Nyra. Acting on instinct, the little bender threw her arms up and twisted her wrists, bringing a small stream of water in the air that came cracking down on the stick, sending it safely away from herself. "Good job Nyra! You're first thought was the water whip. Very well done. You have the instincts of a Master water bender." Katara bowed to her pupil.

"Thank you, Sifu Katara." Nyra bowed respectfully back.

"That will be all today. You are dismissed." Nyra smiled and skipped away.

"That was very impressive," a deep voice said, startling Katara

"Zuko," Katara said with a smile. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to watch you train Nyra. I've never really seen a waterbending lesson."

"And what did you think of it?"

"You are an incredible teacher Katara. Nyra seems to be doing very well for her age." Katara blushed. "But there seems to be a flaw in your lesson plan."

"Wha- what?" Katara was taken back. "What do you mean?"

"It's nothing against you, really. It's just that, if you were ever put in a situation where you didn't have water, you would be almost helpless. Water bending is mostly defense, therefore you are far from your opponent. In close combat, you would be taken down easily."

Katara felt hurt. _I am not defenseless._ "I can pull water from the air, or from my sweat. I always have a source of water."

"But is it enough to fight with?" Zuko argued.

A memory of Katara in a wooden cell played out in her mind. "...No, I guess it wouldn't really be effective." Katara looked crestfallen.

"Hey, cheer up. That's where I come in. If you want, I am willing to teach you hand-to-hand combat." Zuko offered.

Katara's face lit up, "Oh Zuko!" She threw her arms around his neck. "That would mean so much to me if you could! Thank you!" The Fire Lord wrapped his arms around the waterbenders slim waist, sighing contentedly. "When do you want to start training?" Katara asked as she stepped back.

"There's no time like the present, right? Are you ready?" Katara nodded excitedly. Zuko walked to the edge of the garden and took off his robe and shirt. Katara could feel a blush forming as she watched the muscles in his back flex and ripple. _Oh my…_ Zuko turned back around and she quickly averted her eyes, trying to make the blush go away.

"Ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

"Okay, we will start out with the basics. Follow my movements, and make sure you watch your breathing." Zuko slowly started going through different movements with Katara following along. "Waterbending focuses on the push and pull of movements, using your opponent's force against them. It focuses on slow deliberate upper body movements, control, and defense into offense. But hand to hand combat is fast, quick, and brutal. It incorporates both upper body and lower body movements. You need to learn to use the lower body in a fight. Mastering hand to hand will greatly improve your waterbending, allowing you better control of your body, and versatility during a battle." The two benders continued to move between one position to another. Slowly, Zuko increased his speed. His slow fluid movements became sharper, throwing in strikes and kicks. Katara struggled to keep up, inexperienced with using her lower body during attacks.

"Now that you have the general feel for the movements of hand to hand, let's put it into context. Come at me."

"Wait… What?"

"Fight me. But no bending. Try and knock me down." Zuko spread his feet out and then motioned for her to start.

 _Is he crazy? How is this going to help?_ Despite her doubts, Katara charged. Zuko waited until the last moment to move. Seeing an opening, he quickly stepped around Katara, grabbed her wrist, twisted her around and pinned her to himself. Breathless, Katara looked up at Zuko, his eyes just inches from her own. Suddenly she was very aware of her body pressed against his own. She could feel his hot breathe on her face, and a blush forming on her cheeks.

"You are too predictable," Zuko stated simply, letting Katara go and stepping back. "Use what I showed you. You rely too much on your upper body. Again."

Katara approached Zuko. She swept her foot on the ground, hoping to trip him, but he easily flipped over her. Landing behind her, he grabbed her and pinned her arms to her sides.

"Again."

This time, Zuko moved against her. He stepped forward and punched. Katara twisted out of the way and struck out her arm. Zuko ducked under her, sweeping his feet, and tripping her. He caught her before she hit the ground. Quickly, she got to her feet and readied herself. The two benders continued fighting long into the evening.


End file.
